Back RoadsNOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE Funny and heartbreaking, this New York Times bestselling debut perfectly captures the maddening confusion of adolescence and the prickly nature of family with irony and unerring honesty. Harley Altmyer should be in college having the time of his life. He should be free from the backwards Pennsylvania coal town he calls home, with its lack of jobs and no sense of humor. Instead, he’s constantly reminded of just how messed up everything is... Harley’s mother is in prison for killing his father, so he’s in charge of bringing up his younger sisters and working two jobs to pay the bills—and that doesn’t leave a lot of time for distractions. But lately, he’s getting more and more sidetracked by lusting after Callie Mercer, his middle-aged neighbor. As he struggles to keep it together, things begin to spin out of control. Soon Harley finds that as shattered as his family is, there are still more crushing surprises in store. “In Harley, O’Dell has created a hero who’s heartbreakingly believable; like Holden Caulfield, he uses caustic humor to hide his pain. Readers will care very much about him and his future, if indeed he has one.”—St. Petersburg Times |
Contents
chapter 3 | |
chapter 4 | |
chapter 5 | |
chapter 6 | |
chapter 7 | |
chapter 8 | |
chapter 12 | |
chapter 13 | |
chapter 14 | |
chapter 15 | |
chapter 16 | |
chapter 17 | |
chapter 18 | |
chapter 19 | |
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Common terms and phrases
already Amber answered asked beer better Betty called Callie chair closed coming couch couldn’t couple Dad’s dark don’t door drive Elvis explained eyes face feel feet felt figure finally floor front fucking gave getting girls give going hair hands happened hard Harley head heard inside It’s Jody keep kids kill kind knew laughed leave lips living looked mean Misty Mom’s mouth moved never night okay once person picked probably pulled question remember road running seen shirt side sitting smile someone sound standing started stay stopped sure talk tell thing thought told took touch tried truck trying turned Uncle Mike voice waited walked wasn’t watched whole window woman wondered