A moving story about a complex, intimate friendship between two unlikely people
Don first meets Alice Roland at his father’s funeral, a time that is mired in grief. The sister of Don’s friend, Alice comforts Don by simply asking how he is doing, an innocuous but meaningful question. The premature death of his father has left Don in an emotional haze that even his girlfriend couldn’t extricate him from, but things are different when he sees Alice; a smile or a kind word might just turn his day around.
When Don learns that Alice would be his English teacher in his senior year of high school, he is happy but knows that a friendship with her would need to be muted while in the classroom to avoid causing Alice (or Miz Roland) any trouble.
Outside of school, Alice turns out to be a good friend who talks to Don about his potential, whether it be about sports or school. Their heart-to-heart talks after school at McDonalds are meaningful to him and layered for readers looking in.
Shortly after graduation, Don pays a visit to Alice in her classroom to express his gratitude, but his true feelings surface, and he kisses Alice. Alice doesn’t reject his affectionate advance, but there would be consequences for Alice; there’s a witness. Soon, they are called to account by the school principal. In the aftermath of this and despite their feelings, Don and Alice both admit that only a platonic friendship would work between them. Maybe their story is finally over.
In college, Don finds a chance at love with an old crush named Karen. Don and Karen are a nearly perfect couple, but thoughts of Alice have never completely left Don’s mind, leading to a fatal faux pas to the relationship. The fallout from the breakup with Karen leaves Don shaken, and eventually he begins seeing a therapist. Therapy allows Don to develop deeper insight into his relationship with women and unresolved issues with his late father.
However, there’s still an issue of closure in his relationship with Alice and that would come to a head years later with Don working as a journalist covering the release of Alice’s controversial book called The Boy Next Door, a story about a relationship between a young woman and a much younger boy.
Dan Helpingstine’s novel is a tender story about a young man who meets someone important and doesn’t let go at a transformative moment in his life. The attachment between Don and Alice isn’t immune from stigma, as there are questions about impropriety that arise from their shared kiss, and the fraught scene in the principal’s office is portrayed seriously and authentically by the author. The inherent drama of the narrative is never overstated, as the author allows the crisp dialogue to speak for itself. The author doesn’t shy away from the controversial nature of the topic, as the most poignant conversations are often between Don and others about this unconventional bond.
When Alice publishes The Boy Next Door, author Dan Helpingstine introduces another intriguing element into this already fascinating story: It becomes the subject of a potential book ban from overzealous parents. The heated dispute amongst the local community becomes material for Don’s newspaper and also becomes an intelligent plot device for him to confront his past with Alice and provide the closure he’s been avoiding for many years. A moving novel about a complex topic, The Boy Next Door provides intelligent fodder for deep thought and fascinating conversation.
The post The Boy Next Door by Dan Helpingstine appeared first on Independent Book Review.