There’s something comforting about picking up a book that is a ‘retelling’ of an old, tried and true tale.  In essence, you know what you’re going to get.  When that retold tale takes a creative turn with the established storyline making it new and inventive and catches me off guard, so I sit back and think, “Now that, that was well done,” well, that makes me a happy reader.

But I’ll be honest.  For me, Sway was not one of those stories – but it is a good story and one I’d be happy to recommend with an asterisk.  And here’s the asterisk – If a modern-day take on Cyrano de Bergerac is your kind of thing,  then this might be up your alley.  If you don’t want to read about teenagers doing drugs/sex/drinking or have a problem with the fictional manipulation of other teens/adults and using physically and mentally challenged kids for sympathy purposes, I’d skip this one.

What I liked about this story:

• Sway tells the tale of Jesse, a high school student, who recently lost his mom, lives with his absentee father, and makes a living by being the “go-to” guy of his school. Jesse is an enabler, a dealer, a kid who can get you what you want for a price.  He deals in secrets and blackmail without much of a conscience.
• He’s got a great voice and is easy to read.
• I would not consider Jesse a completely reliable narrator.  He describes the girl of his dreams in positively glowing terms and I’m not sure she does a wrong thing the entire story (in his eyes).
• I think my favorite line was, “Can I borrow an old person for 10 minutes?”  🙂
• Mr. D was a predictable character and I saw where it was going, but I admit, I liked this relationship and how it helped redeem Jesse.
• As Jesse begins to change, he starts using his “favors” for the good of others.  That’s fun to see.
• I like how when everything falls apart on Jesse and he’s faced with the disaster he’s created – the gig is up! – it is written so well, I truly felt bad for Jesse.  He hit rock bottom and there’s nothing left for him in this life.

What bothered me about this story:

• The drug use, the sex, the alcohol consumption wore on me, as well as Jesse’s multiple explanations of, “I have to take a hit otherwise (my supplier) will think something’s up,” or “Users are losers so I only do what I have to in order to make the deal.”  Once would have been enough.
• When Jesse takes his ex on a date in order to set her up with a fellow student, he describes his outfit as “summer weight wool slacks.”  What teenage boy knows what ‘summer weight wool’ is or would call his pants ‘slacks’?
• The commentary on the cheerleaders sounded too female to be coming from a high school boy’s mouth.

What I would consider before giving this to my kid:

• Drugs, sex and alcohol abound among multiple characters.  Jesse smokes pot, drinks, deals drugs at college parties, justifying his use because it’s part of the business.  He arranges hookups between guys and girls, including the love interest’s brother who has cerebral palsy.  He manipulates and blackmails people to get what he wants, and has his friends beat up a potential abuser to protect a friend.   Jesse’s dad is practically absent.  His mentally disturbed mother committed suicide.  Jesse brings his drug dealing replacement in for an interview.  9th Grade on Up, maybe higher depending on the kid.

Final Thoughts:

• I realized about half way through the book I stopped taking notes because I honestly got caught up in the story.  The characters are good, the voice is good, the dialogue is snappy and real, the story captivating all the while being soaked in drugs and sex and manipulation.  This is a tale where the main character takes a believable journey of change from start to finish and one I’d recommend.  With an Asterisk.  🙂