Receiving glowing reviews everywhere from the New York Times to the Washington Post, and a “best book of the year” nod from the L.A. Times, “The Lost Legends of New Jersey” by Emerson College professor Fredrick Reiken proves itself worthy of such praise.
A highly readable tale of love and family dysfunction in Springsteen-crazed suburban New Jersey, circa 1979, the plot of “Legends” develops effortlessly. Narrated by teen hockey ace Anthony Rubin, the story of his father”s affair with his best friend”s mother is told with wry humor, gut-wrenching flashbacks and standard teen-aged attitude.
The book opens with Anthony”s mother, having just found evidence of her husband”s affair, throwing rocks at Claudia Berkowitz”s house. Inside are Anthony, age 13, and his best friend Jay Berkowitz, hanging out in the basement plus Jay”s mother and Anthony”s father upstairs in the bedroom.
A painful divorce ensues, not to mention the crumbling of Anthony and Jay”s friendship. Left to pick up the pieces of this emotional rubble, Anthony finds solace in a likely place: His ill-reputed next-door neighbor Juliette DeMiglio, daughter of a suspected gangster.
Reiken, using a solid foundation of eloquent prose, believable characters and events that anyone over age 17 can relate to, tells an alternately heartwarming and heartbreaking story of how Anthony resurrects his life. The reader is made to feel as betrayed and confused as the characters themselves, and yearns for more the entire time.
“Legends,” Reiken”s sophomore effort, deftly illuminates his talent as a storyteller. At 336 pages, the book can be read in a single sitting this is convenient, as you will probably want to.