Boy Toy [Paperback]

 

 

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In the week before writing this review I have read three of Lyga's novels. Each looks at a different element of human nature and is about a man struggling to understand himself, of a boy struggling to become a man. Each was an incredible read. But this one was so dark, so gritty, that a few times I had to step back and put the book down. It was so intense that I needed a break from the story.

Josh Mendel is eighteen, a senior at South Brock High in Brookdale. He is an incredible hitter in baseball, he has a short fuse, and when he was 12 and 13 he was seduced by his history teacher Evelyn 'Eve' Sherman. His name was never in the papers but everyone in this small town knows his secret. Just as he thought he was a few weeks from graduation and leaving town to pursue baseball and mathematics, his life gets turned upside down again. Rachel, one of his best friends growing up, whom he assaulted, is back in his life and determined they need to work things out. Eve has gotten out of jail and he is worried he will run into her around every corner. He punches out his baseball coach and serves a three day suspension. Life is pretty topsy-turvy for Josh right now and he doesn't even know the half of it. But what is the truth about what happened, and what people know or think they know?

Barry Lyga has probed the depths of what abuse does to a person's mind and psyche. He has examined the results of systematic progressive abuse and how it ensnares the victim and confuses the victim. He also shows the lasting impact that something like this can have, even after years of therapy. I have known a number of survivors and Lyga does an incredible job of capturing that experience but also creating a story with hope and light at the end of the tunnel. The book was a little disturbing to read, but only because of Lyga's penetrating insight and also his compassion in presenting such a story. Very well done!

Grab your hat and glasses because you are going to take a very bumpy and harrowing literary ride!

Josh Mendel, a gifted boy of 12 (the name Mendel makes one think of the early genetist, Gregor Mendel and his work with pea plants) who is an incredible baseball player and honor student. His life detours sharply when his English teacher, Evelyn ("Call Me Eve") Sherman enters his life.

Eve Sherman is an interesting character. She grooms Josh, complimenting him on his high caliber work and suggeting that he might want to participate in a reseach project she is conducting for graduate studies. She encourages Josh to visit her home. In an amazing show of faith, Josh's parents buy Eve's story without questioning Josh too closely about why he is spending any time in a teacher's apartment. The fact that she is married does not seem to deter her or them.

Josh's best friend Zik is his only confidante. The part that bothered me the most is that Josh's parents did not appear to communicate much with their only child. It is this absence of open communication that led Josh into some painful decisions and later traumatic encounters involving Eve.

Eve starts out innocently enough. She invites Josh to her place, even driving him over after school. Josh begins by writing papers; filling out questionnaires and answering basic, academic questions. He even plays with Eve's husband's Xbox. In time, the tone would grow sexual.

Matters reach a head when Eve gives Josh wine and tells him to keep that a secret; she strokes his ego for starters by telling him how mature he is. Naturally, Josh basks in the glow of the wine and the praise. From there it is a short jump to improper sexual seduction. Josh continues with the ostensible research and plays Xbox. Matters reach a critical point when he sees an adult video on the Xbox. Eve tries to downplay it, but it is plain she wanted him to view it so he has some exposure to adult sexual behavior. In time, Eve would start seducing Josh. His graphic account of their encounters is effective; it is neither titillating nor pruriet. He is a confused 12-year-old boy caught in a maelestrom of experiences and emotions he is not ready to handle.

Josh honestly believed Eve loved him and cared about him. He opens his story with what he learned that year and one of the items on his check list is "how to please a woman," which is not something any 12-year-old should personally know.

Months into the school year, Josh attends a party at his friend Rachel's house. Their friends, Zik and Michelle (Michelle makes a reappearance in the Fanboy books) are also in attendence. One suggests that Josh and Rachel make out in a closet. Josh, eager to apply what Eve has taught him tries her moves on Rachel with devastating consequences. It is then that his encounters with Eve become known. "You think you've lost your love, well I saw her yesterday, it's you she's thinking of and she told me what to say." -- Beatles, 1963 from "She Loves You"

Legal trauma ensues; Josh avoids Rachel out of fear and shame. "You know it's up to you, I think it's only fair, pride can hurt you too, apologize to her." -- Beatles, 1963 from "She Loves You." Five years later when Josh is a senior, he avoids a popular shop because Rachel works there. "She said she loves you and you know that can't be bad. Yeah, she loves you and you know you should be glad." -- Beatles, 1963 from "She Loves You"

Eve is finally convicted and Josh emerges from his multiple traumas of sexual molestation, family issues and avoidance of Rachel sadder but wiser. Rachel, his baseball playing pal remains a true friend. "She said you hurt her so, she almost lost her mind, but now she says she knows you're not the hurting kind." -- Beatles, 1963 from "She Loves You"

It is Rachel who helps Josh put the pieces of his life back together and who stands by him when he makes some very difficult decisions. It is Rachel who really listens to Josh once he decides to share with her his painful trauma with Eve. She insists that Josh be her prom date, double dating with their friends Zik and Michelle, who have been a couple since middle school. It was interesting that all 4 sets of parents agreed to let these kids rent a room and spend the night after the prom. In light of Josh's sexual trauma, it does question the Mendels' judgments on this. Indeed, the Beatles' 1963 classic "She Loves You" easily underscores Josh's relationship and reconnection with Rachel. "With a love like that, you know you should be glad, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!"

Barry Lyga is a genius. It's as simple as that. Kyra Sellers, his Goth Girl character has a cameo appearance in this book. This is a brilliant, cutting edge book that deals with several adult issues realistically, seriously and honestly. His works, like those of Chris Crutcher's, deal with serious topics and confront them in a way so as to educate readers. The Beatles' 1963 classic "She Loves You" could easily be the soundtrack of this book, with Rachel being the "She" in "She Loves You."

In BOY TOY, author Barry Lyga takes readers on an incredible journey into a world that, for some, like main character Josh Mendel, is all too real. Josh's life was changed at age twelve when his teacher took the role of educator far beyond the limits of acceptable behavior. Lyga's story does not cut corners or mince words. He is straightforward and direct in telling Josh's story. His graphic descriptions may have earned him criticism, but they have also made his story a powerful one.

Josh Mendel loves baseball. He is a wiz at math. His best friend, Zik, seems to be the one with the rocky home life and all the problems, but not for long.

Mrs. Evelyn Sherman is the new history teacher recently transferred from the local high school to the middle school. She is drop-dead gorgeous. All the boys probably find it a bit embarrassing to stand up and leave the classroom some days. Josh certainly does.

Josh's involvement with Mrs. Sherman begins when she praises his writing and asks him to help her with a project for her graduate class. Honored and excited, Josh is eager to help. Problems at home make staying after school, and later actually going home with Mrs. Sherman, a convenience for Josh and his parents. He begins spending more and more time with her even after her project is complete.

At first, being in Mrs. Sherman's apartment everyday after school is exciting, because Josh gets to play unlimited video games, drink Coke, and hang out with an attentive, beautiful woman. His time in the apartment becomes even more fascinating when Mrs. Sherman begins inviting him to help her cook dinner and sip wine with her. Then kisses begin - tentative and then passionate. The passion moves from petting to full-on sexual experimentation.

Josh is addicted. There are feelings of guilt, but those feelings are outweighed by the incredible physical pleasure Mrs. Sherman offers. Life is spiraling out of control.

The world comes crashing down when Josh finds himself playing spin the bottle with Rachel. He and Rachel have been friends on the baseball field for as long as he can remember, but when Josh's newfound experience turns the innocent teenage game too sexually explicit, Rachel runs screaming to her parents. The "game" is over, and Josh's secret is about to come out in the open.

BOY TOY is not a short romp between the sheets. In fact, it has raised many eyebrows in the world of YA literature. Readers will see exactly what went on with Mrs. Sherman, but they will also see deeply into the world of a young man trying to continue with life, make amends to his friends, and make plans for his future. It has a strong, powerful story to tell, and it tells that story well.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

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