Falter Kingdom

A stream-of-consciousness narrative fuels this confusing tale of a teenager who becomes possessed by a demon after undergoing a local rite of passage. When high school senior Hunter Warden "runs the gauntlet" by venturing into the abandoned tunnel called Falter Kingdom, something takes up residence in his body, causing a variety of weird phenomena to occur in his presence. While Hunter waits for an exorcism, he becomes something of a celebrity among his friends, alternately loved and feared for his swiftly deteriorating condition. But as Hunter gets to know the demon, which calls itself "H," he questions his purpose in life and whether he wants to be cured. The premise of Seidlinger's (The Laughter of Strangers) first book for teens has potential, but the story suffers from a lack of focus and an increasingly unclear internal monologue, which is studded with lines rendered in bold type for little discernable reason. Hunter is hard to connect with as a character, and when his thoughts and viewpoints become interchangeable with those of H, it muddies the waters further and robs the tale of emotional strength. Ages 14%E2%80%93up. (Aug.)