Booking It: Winger

Before you all freak out about the 14-year-old protagonist in Andrew Smith’s novel Winger, as I did, I should point out that this book is a breath of fresh air in the Young Adult section. Now, I normally stay far away from this genre, as I find the protagonists to be whiny and immature – but it is Ryan Dean West’s awareness of his own whininess and immaturity that makes this book so hilarious. Winger is a great piece of writing, and I particularly recommend it for people who have gotten out of the habit of recreational reading in college, but want something light to read before bed. The chapters are short, allowing you to pick up the story and put it down whenever you have free time.

Protagonist Ryan attends Pine Mountain Boarding School, where he earned his nickname “Winger” by playing wing for the rugby team. Having skipped two grades, he is a 14-year-old genius in his junior year of secondary education. Ryan is no teacher’s pet, however: his attempt to hack into a faculty member’s phone landed him in the O-hall, the dorm for rule breakers on campus.

We are introduced to Ryan as he struggles against the bullies from the rival football team, partakes in late-night drunk escapades and attempts to win the love of his best friend, Annie. The problem, however, is that Annie is 16 – and, as Ryan tells us repeatedly in his candid narration (29 times, by my count), he is a loser. Smith expertly portrays the torture and excitement of a first crush, building up the tension so well that I could not resist skipping ahead in the book to see if they ended up together. Smith makes Ryan utterly appealing – we want Annie to adore Ryan Dean as much as he adores her.

This is Smith’s sixth Young Adult novel, and his funniest book by far. Like most adolescent boys, Ryan has a weakness for rambling and absurdly long hyphenated modifiers; for instance, he describes the rival football players’ way of speaking as “a very creepy Greek-chorus-in-a-tragedy-that-you-know-is-not-going-to-end-well-for-our-hero kind of way.” I had tears of laughter in my eyes at one point (hint: check out page 316).

The comedic tone that dominates Winger makes for an easy and enjoyable read. I must warn you, however, that the humour eventually descends into an extremely dark plot twist. Though I wish Smith had explored this tragedy more – it only receives a couple of pages of attention – the impact is strong nevertheless. The ending deepens the narrative, transforming the mood of the entire book. If you are looking for a story that will make you laugh and cry, Winger is perfect for you.