Book Reviews

Book Blurb

First Prize Winner of the William Faulkner Literary Award

It is 1995 in North Carolina and high-school student Taylor Hanes is struggling to escape his small-minded dying textile town. He finds his ticket out by lying on the application in order to get a full-ride scholarship to a state university. His actions generate unexpected consequences from his family and his hometown, but worse yet, he awakens the wrath of the scholarship’s long dead benefactor. 

 

In his new life in college he must still contend with the hauntings, but his new girlfriend, a professed witch, and a group of friends ban together to help him unravel the reasons the spirit is restless. 

 

The narrative deftly moves between the present and when the benefactor attended college in 1927, the pinnacle of the Jazz age and a period of great change and moral conflict. As the friends dig deeper, the story draws parallels in the lives of the characters. This is a coming-of-age novel unlike any other with an unusual twist. 

 

Praised for it’s mystery, drama, honor and romance, Finding Pluck has been hailed as fresh and imaginative, eloquently written, entertaining, delightfully absorbing and with something truly important to say. 

 

Book Review

It was clear from the blurb that 'Finding Pluck' would be unlike any book I've previously picked up, and the premise intrigued me. I've read many stories, and will doubtless read many more, where a young man feels forced to hide his homosexuality. This is the first novel I've come across, however, that turns this concept on its head, featuring a straight hero who becomes embroiled in the pretence of being gay. The author combines this with witchcraft, a restless ghost, and the interweaving of past and present to create something wholly unique.

Taylor had no choice. With his mom seriously ill and his dad struggling to support her, there is no money left over to send him to college. His only hope lies in an equality scholarship for gay and lesbian students. So Taylor might not be gay, but lying about his sexuality seems a small sacrifice to make if it pays his way through college. Yet, nothing prepares him for the prejudice he encounters from the residents of his small hometown, people Taylor has known all his life, and the last thing he expects is that his deception will mark him out as the target for a wrathful spirit.

Once at college, Taylor meets a host of interesting characters from a self-professed witch for whom he experiences an instant attraction, to a handsome actor with a preference for older men. With their help, Taylor works to uncover the mystery that surrounds the haunting. The search leads them to delve into the life of Bernard Pembroke, the long-dead benefactor behind Taylor's scholarship, who attended the university seventy years before. Gradually, they piece together the events of Bernard's college days, and reveal the truth about his ill-fated romance with his close friend Damian.

One of the best aspects of this book, I think, is the way Peter Difatta develops the hero's character. Taylor starts out with little knowledge or understanding of the LGBT community, but as the story progresses, he comes to feel a genuine empathy and the desire to fight for equality. What I enjoyed most about this novel though were the chapters set in the past. I really liked the subtlety with which Bernard's relationship with Damian blossoms, as well as the glimpse the author offers us into college life in the 1920s. If you're seeking an unusual read, you may well want to give this a try.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by the author for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 410 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	17-February-2015
Price	$3.99 ebook, $14.95 paperback
Buy Link	http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Pluck-Peter-Difatta/dp/0692375236