Paranoid Park by Blake Nelson

Nelson, Blake. Paranoid Park. Viking, 2006. ISBN-10:0-670-06118-2


Summary
One of the Preps is at Paranoid Park, an unauthorized skate park under the freeway when one of the streeters suggests they hop a train and go down to Safeway. Then the security guard at the trainyard sees them, chases them and somehow gets tangled up in the train. The train rides over him and he is dead. Unsure what to do, the narrator runs. Over the next few weeks, he is increasingly paranoid. The death was an accident, so he doesn't call the cops. But it was an accident, so why not tell the cops? Just when things are settled, the police reopen the investigation and a detective shows up at school wanting to talk to the skaters. Can anyone be trusted? Is it better to tell or better not to tell?

Evaluation
The unnamed narrator is a typical teen. He sneaks out, skateboards and has girl trouble. None of his actions are unusual enough to warrant the complicated situation he finds himself in. However, he is faced with a decision and must deal with the consequences of his action. The moral implications are confusing and the situation remains unsolved. The reader is forced to draw his own conclusions. Thus, the story demonstrates the narrator's thought process rather than demonstrating the correct action. The ambiguity of the ending is actually a strong point for this book. The characters are a little generic, but would appeal to a wide audience, not just skaters.

Reader's Annotation
Did I witness a murder? Did I cause a murder? Well, a man died, and I pushed him, but did he die because of me? And so what? These things are always easier to understand when they're not happening to you. Perhaps things will work themselves out in the end....

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness
Understanding the complicated consequences of unintended actions.

Genre and Subject
Realistic fiction
Skateboarding
Murder thriller

Why I read it
Paranoid Park is set in an exciting subculture of Portland. A thrilling vicarious adventure that involves train hopping!