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More than just a love story between a poor boy and a rich girl, Gentlehands is the coming of age of a young man in the late 1970s.  M.E. Kerr was awarded the Edwards Award in 1993, noted as “one of the pioneers in realistic fiction for teenagers.”  So how has her work held up?

Gentlehands
M.E. Kerr
Published 1978

Buddy’s family is lower middle-class.  He lives year-round in a Long Island town that attracts summer residents.  He doesn’t know much about the finer things in life–until he meets and falls for Skye Pennington.  Seeing the wealth that Sky lives in makes Buddy self-conscious.  So he starts spending time with his grandfather, an elegant, aristocratic man.  While his parents aren’t happy about Buddy spending time with his grandfather, or his relationship with Skye, Buddy doesn’t care.  He likes who he could be when he’s with Skye or his grandfather.  But then, allegations are made that Buddy’s grandfather served in the SS during World War II–and that he is the Nazi officer ironically known as Gentlehands.  Buddy is left numb by this blow, unable to believe these accusations about his grandfather.  By the end of the summer, his grandfather has fled from the authorities and Buddy has broken up with Skye.  And now Buddy is different from the boy he was.

Love and loss combine to change Buddy, making him grow up.  He was already different from his parents, who are pedestrian and small-minded.  Being exposed to the luxuries that Skye enjoys, and being taught about wine, opera and clothes by his grandfather, make Buddy into a young man who wants more than what his parents have.  You get the sense that Buddy will move on and move away, and he won’t look back on this climactic summer.  But it has left its mark on him, and he’s no longer a happy-go-lucky kid.

The accusation that Buddy’s grandfather was a Nazi is like a bombshell.  Researched and exposed by a relative of one of Gentlehands’ victims, it can be hard to believe that Buddy’s grandfather is capable of such actions.  how could the man who rescues a raccoon from a steel trap be the same person who sicked attack dogs on Jews?  Why would the man who loved opera use it against Italian Jews, playing arias to create sadness?  We don’t learn the answers to these questions; Buddy’s grandfather remains enigmatic.  But the reaction to the allegations, and Buddy’s realization that they are true, changes Buddy’s memories of his grandfather.  Just like his relationship with Skye, his grandfather taints the memory of that summer.

There are some negatives to this novel.  Other than Buddy and his grandfather, the other characters are unrealistic and flat.  Skye, with her never-ending chatter, comes across as a shallow, empty rich girl.  Buddy’s parents are utterly pedestrian, unable to look beyond their own feelings and connect with Buddy.  Most of the supporting characters are exaggerated and stereotyped.  Thankfully, Buddy and his grandfather are more realistic characters: more grounded and less melodramatic.

At only 183 pages, Gentlehands moves along at a quick pace, with little subtlety in its storytelling.  Now that we’ve gotten used to YA novels weighing in at three hundred pages or more, the fast pace is even more noticeable.  I would have liked more time with Buddy’s grandfather, so that his past would be a truly shock

When I was a girl, I had a little bit of a crush.

His name was John Fell, and all I really wanted to be was Keats, Fell’s sassy, wealthy girlfriend with whom he fooled around with in the back of his dead dad’s car next to the ocean.

Okay, so I was twelve. But upon a re-read, I consider this to be one of the more under-appreciated young adult books out there. It was published in 1987 (I was two!) which was a little bit of a dead period for the genre, I think, but this one is good I promise.

John Fell lives in a beach town where the only people who live year round are either insanely wealthy or just scraping by. After his father, Fell and his mother and little sister Jazzy are definitely rooted in the latter. But somehow, Fell has landed himself a girl who lives in an estate so large it has it’s own name, “Adieu.” Keats likes him, maybe even loves him, and all Fell really wants to do is work at the fine foods store after school and take Keats to her Prom. When Fell pulls up to Adieu to pick up his date, he’s met by the family butler, informing Fell that he’s been officially stood up. Fell barrels down the mile long driveway and accidentally hits an eccentric neighbor’s car, who then invites him into his home to get to know him. Fell quickly becomes involved in the lives of these strangers - Wood, his Japanese artist wife, and their nerdy, aspiring magician son. With Keats on the outs, and money tighter than ever, Fell starts to consider Wood’s strange offer to send him to a prestigious boarding school.

Okay, I just recalled that all without having read the book in a good four years. So forgive any small errors, and take that as a testament to how many times I read the book. Which should mean it’s quality, right?

Anyway, if you’re looking for class struggles, pre-Looking For Alaska and Prep boarding school drama, and a dash of social history (yes!) all covered in mystery, please pick up this book. It’s out of print I think, but visit your library to pick up a copy. If you like it, there are two sequels, often found packaged in a three book set.

But just remember, ladies. Fell is all mine.