That was then, this is now
1971
- fiction
- social problems
- friendship
- juvenile fiction
- drug abuse
- young adult fiction
- teenagers
- children's fiction
- drugs, fiction
- social problems, fiction
The story
Sixteen-year-old Mark and Bryon have been like brothers since childhood, but now, as their involvement with girls, gangs, and drugs increases, their relationship seems to gradually disintegrate.
What it’s like
Plainspoken first-person narration with the easy, slangy rhythm of a teenager talking straight to the reader, short declarative sentences, and a restless, unsentimental voice that turns sudden tenderness into something sharp. The sensory world is working-class and urban: dusty lots, cramped apartments, cigarette smoke, greasy diner counters, the cold grind of a city street after dark, with little lingering description and plenty of gritty specificity. Its vibe is bruised nostalgia, quietly grieving and unresolved, the feeling of a friendship slipping through your fingers. It suits a late-night read, a stretch of quiet alone, or a reread when you want something short and emotionally direct rather than comforting. The pace is brisk and the chapters tumble forward, with a mood that shifts from easy camaraderie to unease and grief. The intensity is moderate: drug use and gang tension appear in matter-of-fact scenes, with some scuffles and a few tense confrontations, but no graphic gore and little sexual content. The emotional register is melancholy and tender, and the central arc follows two boys who are close as brothers gradually growing apart. It is for readers who like honest, young-adult voices and stories about loyalty and loss.
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