RESTLESS

Ghosts aren’t the only restless spirits in an intriguing, poignant narrative told by an athlete’s dead brother. Taunted by his rotten soccer coach, Herbie joins both football and cross-country. The workload is intense—he wants to make varsity on both teams. But the exhausting routine doesn’t keep Herbie from nightly visits to the cemetery. Herbie’s seen a ghost—though not, he correctly guesses, the ghost of his brother Frank. Frank is watching over Herbie as long as he’s stuck here, tied to Earth—in a wonderful fleshy detail—by frustration at his now-permanent virginity. Herbie’s need to contact Frank is as consuming as his drive to succeed as an athlete. Frank’s restless needs are harder to fulfill, but a clever twist brings him the completion he needs. Once again, Wallace has permeated his town of Sturbridge with the sweat and grit of athleticism, while creating much more than just a sports story. Physical and philosophical: one of Wallace’s best. (Fiction. YA)