Lisa Sattin

A thirty-six year-old woman seduces a fourteen year-old boy. Evocative descriptions of New York City in the ‘eighties are the only noteworthy feature of the novel, and the sole reason I gave it two stars. I can’t be bothered to explain all the off-putting elements of the characters, especially the mindlessly self-absorbed protagonist, who allows himself to be lured into a provocative intimacy with his parents’ friend, a woman he doesn’t find physically attractive. Their stolen hours in her car, during which they kiss and begin to indulge in minor foreplay, were excruciatingly disturbing, to the point where I stopped reading at page 108. To sum it up: Holden Caulfield in Pedo Town.