Ghost Medicine by Andrew Smith

“So things do not happen by coincidence, and everything that is, is really a collision of paths. And so luck, which I also do not believe in in the way that most people do, is merely a chain of certain reckless collisions.”

Andrew Smith is one of my favorite authors, so when I saw this book at the used bookstore, I had to have it. This book is a YA western, coming-of-age story about Troy and his friends living in a rural setting near ranches and farms. This setting was fairly foreign to me, but I still enjoyed the laid back aspect of the characters lives.

The book focuses on Troy, Tommy, and Gabe and their battles with town bad-boy Chase. They boys basically band together against Chase. The rivalry heats up pretty quickly when shots are fired. This all leads to one final battle where lives will be lost. While the rivalry is the main part of this book, Troy is also dealing with the death of his mother and his new relationship with Luz.

This book did not have the humor and wittiness that I am accustomed to with Andrew Smith’s other novels, mainly 100 Sideways Miles and Winger, but it still had that same style that I adore. The plot of this book was extremely slow to start and it took a good third or more to get into the book. But once the action picked up, I flew through the last 150 pages of this book.

While this book was not what I was expecting, it was still enjoyable. Since it is Andrew Smith’s fist novel, you can really see how far his writing has come in his more recent works.

✶ ✶ ✶ and 1/2 stars