cover image Hope for Garbage

Hope for Garbage

Alex Tully. Ann Phillips (www.alextullywriter.com), $7.99 paper (268p) ISBN 978-0-692-02483-6

In this overwrought coming-of-age drama from first-time author Tully, 17-year-old Trevor McNulty endures numerous travails while trying to put a positive spin on a life filled with tragedy. Trevor’s uncle, his only remaining family after a mysterious accident claimed his mother and siblings, is a bully. His only true friend is Mr. T., his 70-year-old neighbor whose favorite hobby involves garbage-picking and restoring what he finds for resale or donating to charity. Things change when Trevor meets Bea Stewart, a rich girl from a troubled family. Their initial bliss is shattered after Bea’s mother makes advances toward Trevor, setting in motion a catastrophic chain of events. In recovering from this, Trevor must face a past he’d rather forget. Tully’s concept is solid, but Trevor’s rapidly compounding troubles verge on the ridiculous, while his eventual triumph doesn’t entirely hold up. Many characters are two-dimensional—they’re either saintly, like Mr. T. or Bea’s housekeeper Lorene, or irredeemably flawed like Trevor’s uncle and Bea’s mother. The narrative dwells in extremes, creating an imbalanced, unrealistic tale of perseverance against tribulations. Ages 12–up. (BookLife)