The Favor
At the behest of her aunts and uncles, Janelle Decker and her 12-year-old son, Bennett, have moved from California to take care of Janelle’s dying grandmother. When Janelle was a child, she often visited Nan, and, as a rebellious teen, she lived with her. The Tierney brothers lived next door: Gabe, the eldest, and the twins, Andy and Michael. Gabe and Andy are still next door with their incapacitated dad. Andy, who has a stripe of white in his hair where he was supposedly accidentally shot by Gabe, has cognitive disabilities but is still good with math and video games. Bennett has issues fitting in at school, but when Andy starts tutoring him, they become friends. Flashing back and forth in time, Janelle and Gabe’s complicated relationship is slowly pieced together. White lower-middle class families are underrepresented in contemporary fiction, giving Hart’s mainstream novel, which should appeal to “Oprah book” readers, a touch of novelty. --Diana Tixier Herald