Harry Whitewolf's Reviews > Danny Reluctant

Coming of age tales don’t come much better than this.

It’s universally relatable, funny, sad, engrossing and extremely well written; especially for a debut.

At the start of this novel, Danny is a shy and unworldly teenager with his nose stuck in On The Road. He knows nothing of girls, drugs, booze or rock ‘n’ roll in the real world, but when rebellious Stan drags him into being lead singer of his band, Danny’s world changes pretty much overnight.

This story captures that moment of youth where suddenly the floodgates are open and the world changes into a cacophony of music, good times and adolescent discoveries -a moment that most of us will have lived through, whether you were in a band yourself, had mates in a band or just suddenly discovered the power of music that can reverberate right through to your soul.

The clever thing about this story is that it will appeal to a teen audience just as much as it will appeal to older readers. If you’re currently going through the kind of tribulations and adventures that Danny’s having, this book will feel like a comforting friend who’s there to share the ride with you. And if you’re long in the tooth, it will make you reminisce about the time you discovered sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll: forget school days being the best days of your life, we all know the best days of our lives were when we began to explore the aforementioned.

But this book is far from being all about the music and highs. The subplot of Danny wanting to know his absent father (as well as Danny turning into an adult of his own making; rather than what his peers are perhaps making him into) soon becomes the main plot at hand, if you’re paying attention, where there’s an abundance of sentimental and emotional moments.

Will Stan and Danny’s band make it to the big time? They’re soon tipped to be the next big thing, but the boys’ destructive relationship might just screw the whole thing up (like so many great bands), so who knows. And will Danny ever find his dad? Maybe that’s even more important than the band becoming famous.

There’s a great cast of characters throughout this book, but it’s Stan who has the starring role as the most memorable; the cocky, selfish, up-for-anything lad is one of those true great narcissistic, self-destructive characters of fiction.

A pretty simple story in its premise, elevated by superb writing and plenty of depth under the surface, Danny Reluctant is a rollicking, rock ‘n’ roll tale unlike any other. So roll a fatty boom blatty, put some Stones on the turntable, crank the volume up to 11, and read this great book.