Smooth

Self-deprecating Georgia high school sophomore Kevin, an insecure, anxious teenager with severe facial acne, narrates this bildungsroman set in 2007. Daunted by the prospect of another year “with a face like a red-and-purple tie-dyed scab,” Kevin opts to try Accutane, a “last-resort” drug, despite its long list of side effects and required series of blood tests. Waiting for his monthly test, he develops a crush on Alex, another Accutane patient with milder acne. Though their first conversation is painfully awkward, Kevin remains hopeful they can romantically connect—until Alex transfers to his school, and he discovers his idealistic image of her doesn’t match who she really is. Feeling distanced from Alex and from his two childhood best friends, who joined the football team and now hang out with a popular “posse of kids,” Kevin wonders if his alienation and suicidal thoughts are a normal part of growing up or an effect of his medication. Though his rallying from depression and subsequent profound revelations about himself and others feel somewhat abrupt, Kevin’s conflicts and uncertainties will resonate; the plethora of penis jokes and pimple anecdotes belies a surprising amount of pathos in this voice-driven debut. Ages 14–up. (June)