Ironman - Chris Crutcher

While I was reading Stotan! a few days ago I kept being reminded of another Crutcher novel when the stotan principle was raised. I couldn’t remember which of his books it appeared in, and it irritated me so much I checked out not only Amazon but also the author’s web page, to no avail. I finally decided it must have been in Athletic Shorts, a Crutcher anthology that I haven’t read for some time – many characters from past and future novels appear in the collection. Then I read Ironman.
Bo Brewster’s seventeen, and angry. He’s in training as a triathlete, and locked in mortal combat with his English teacher and former football coach, Mr Redman, who hasn’t forgiven Bo for walking off the field mid-game. Mr Redman’s idea of motivation is denigration and bullying, and that sets Bo off. Unfortunately, while he can quit the team, he still has to see Mr Redman in class, and the man’s teaching style is the same on the field and off.
Bo reacts one time too many and gets a choice – home schooling (with the execrable Mrs Conroy) or the Anger Management group, which meets before school, contains future felons, and is run by shop teacher Mr Nakatani. Between Mr Nak, the Nak Pack (A-M group participants), and the guidance of swim coach/teacher Mr Serbousek (Stotan!’s Lion), Bo starts to work through his demons, take control of his life, and even start a relationship with the enigmatic and self-sufficient Shelly.
The format of Ironman is different than Crutcher’s usual style – it alternates first person letters from Bo (to Larry King) with omniscient chapters, focusing predominantly on the interactions between Mr Redman, Mr Serbousek and school principal Dr Stevens (also from Stotan!). In addition to the unfolding of Bo’s complex tale, we learn about what brought other members of the Pack to group, including Mr Nak.
This book really resonated with me. The advice Mr Nak gives his class is powerful and useful. The characters are, as always, complicated, consistent, coherent and predictably unpredictable – the machinations of Bo’s father before his triathlon are shocking but make sense in the context of his word view, as do his justifications for the behaviour. I related very strongly to Bo, in no small part because my relationship with my father is in many ways similarly fraught, and the references to Alice Miller’s For Your Own Good, a non-fiction book about childhood abuse, has spurred me to finally open my copy, so look for a review soon. - Alex