Freefall [Hardcover]

I am always impressed with new authors. The idea of all the hard work involved in writing a book, and then putting it out there for public criticism for the first time, must take an amazing amount of courage. It is especially impressive when I turn to the info on the back cover and see that the author is a 19-year-old sophomore in college. That's the case with a new release called FREEFALL.

Just how tough are you? When life hits you with a father who commits suicide and a mother who can't seem to get past it, how do you handle the other tough stuff that comes along? Ask Luke Prescott.

One might think that Luke has it all. He attends a fancy boarding school and has hopes of attending a nice college. Money isn't really an issue for him or for the friends who surround him at Briar Academy. He and his best friend and roommate, Hayden, are on the fencing team, enjoy the company of the occasional attractive female, and both get excellent grades. What could go wrong?

Although Luke feels he knows Hayden pretty well, Hayden has been acting strange lately. When a new kid named Russell shows up and demonstrates his excellent fencing skills, Hayden doesn't seem able to cope. When Russell also moves in on Hayden's girlfriend, things come to a head. Unfortunately, Hayden's temper may have gotten the best of him during an initiation ritual that involves the new fencing team member and a jump from a nearby cliff.

Luke finds himself faced with testifying either for or against Hayden at a trial accusing Hayden of killing Russell. He was there, but answering the question about what exactly happened is much harder than Luke ever imagined.

Debut author Ariela Anhalt has crafted a sure winner. Readers will be drawn into the culture of Briar Academy with its cliques and rituals. Luke's family story adds depth and emotion that underline the complicated situation he faces at school. Anyone who gets involved in his story will no doubt find themselves measuring their own strength and convictions against those of Luke and several other characters. I look forward to seeing more from Ms. Anhalt in the future.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

Anhalt's novel hooks the reader immediately -- even one thoroughly senior to subjects and author. Her clever introductions of characters, crisp style, and interweave of plot keep tensions high enough that not only must one keep reading; it all lingers in mind long after. AK

Luke and Hayden are students at an elite boarding school and members of a high-profile sports team. Hayden is a member of life's charmed club, those lucky individual who are attractive, wealthy, athletic and smart, and to whom everything comes easily: good grades, girls, friends, you name it, they have, or can get, it. Luke, on the other hand, while plenty talented, has to work for what he gets. When a team initiation goes horribly wrong, Luke finds himself with a monumental decision to make: support his friend Hayden which might mean to lie, or choose the alternative. Both obviously have far-reaching consequences. With her deft weaving of multiple threads of the story throughout the narrative, Ariela Anhalt displays her considerable skill as a story-teller and accomplished writer.

Anhalt combines her familiarity with the prep school milieu--the people, the relationships, the pressures--with an insight into her characters' psyches that belies her youth. Luke is complicated, grappling with his own baggage and struggling toward self-knowledge, largely without benefit of adult guidance or counsel, except that which is motivated by self-interest. We know what he says and what he thinks about what he says, and have much to consider between the two.

Freefall is everything you want in a novel: a good story that leaves you with a lot to think about. It should be required reading for high school students.