Home After Dark
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Home After Dark is a graphic novel by David Small, author of Stitches. It's about a 13-year-old boy in Northern California who must fend for himself when his parents abandon him. The story explores toxic masculinity, bullying, and scapegoating and contains many violent scenes in which the main character or his friend is brutally beaten. Strong language is frequent, with a few instances each of "damn," "hell," "f--k," "s--t," "f--got," and "d--k." Warren lies on top of Russell while naked, and Kurt has sex with a waitress. Various characters smoke and drink.
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What's the Story?
At the start of HOME AFTER DARK, 13-year-old Russell Pruitt finds himself in the haphazard care of his unemployed father, who takes him from Ohio to small-town Northern California. Russell makes friends with two older boys -- Kurt and Willie -- who hang out in a tree house hidden within a canyon. Russell also befriends Warren, who seems to want a sexual relationship of some kind. When someone starts killing dogs and cats around town, tensions rise, and Russell will be forced to make choices about who he is and what he wants from life.
Is It Any Good?
Stories of abandonment and bullying certainly are nothing new, but this exquisitely detailed graphic novel explores the topic with a powerful, cinematic approach. In Home After Dark, David Small captures the look and feel of another era but shows how some struggles are ever-present. In Russell, he presents a protagonist at odds with nearly everyone around him, desperate for connection even with people who put him down. The language and action are often harrowing, and the book achieves its greatest resonance in its small moments. It's suitable for older teens but may be too harsh for younger readers.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Home After Dark portrays high school in 1950s California. What resources were available to teen boys during the summer back then?
Why are some stories especially suited to be graphic novels? What effects are possible through the combination of words and pictures that are not available through prose or illustration alone?
How do boys learn what's acceptable behavior between themselves and their peers? How can adults guide them toward good behavior?
Book Details
- Author: David Small
- Illustrator: David Small
- Genre: Graphic Novel
- Topics: Friendship, High School
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Liveright
- Publication date: September 11, 2018
- Number of pages: 416
- Available on: Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Award: ALA Best and Notable Books
- Last updated: February 15, 2019
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