Old Man

This snappy, affecting YA-centered novel by Canadian teacher and author Poulsen (Numbers) is a skillful rendering of an estranged father who feels compelled to reconnect with his son. Sixteen-year-old Nate Huffman is firming up his summer vacation plans when his dad, Larry, 62, phones to say he wants “to spend some time together.” Nate feels angry and resentful since Larry ran off 11 years earlier with a much younger woman, leaving Nate and his mother behind in Alberta. Larry divulges that they’re heading to Saigon, characterizing their junket as a “buddy movie” where Nate “might learn something.” En route, Larry reveals elements of his colorful past to Nate and the pair stop over to visit Larry’s “strange” Vietnam War buddy, Tal Ledbetter. Once in Vietnam, Nate is awed as Larry takes him on a tour of wartime Vietnam that climaxes in a harrowing side trip into the jungle. Father and son bond as Larry explains to Nate what being a soldier taught him about manhood and life. Nate also has his first date with a girl, Jen Dodsworth, an Australian tourist visiting Vietnam with her parents. Poulson handles heavy material with sophistication and as the excursion winds down, his young protagonist learns the hardest truths about love and death. Agent: Arnold Gosewich (Canada). (Jan.)