Final Performance

ISBN: 0688068421

Author: Brown, James

Condition: Used

Product Description Mike, an actor with a promising future, desperately tries to protect his younger brother Jay from the destructive influence of their mother, a convicted arsonist, but is driven to suicide, leaving Jay to struggle alone toward self-discovery From Publishers Weekly In this gripping novel, a young man looks back over his troubled adolescence, while at the same time exploring the events leading to his older brother's suicide. Jay and Mike McKinney are teenagers when their mother, Gina, is arrested for arson. Once released from jail, Gina leaves her husband and takes the two boys to Los Angeles, intending to make a fresh start. That possibility is destroyed when the amoral Gina again runs afoul of the law. The family's story, as told by Jay, is a disturbing one. Mike, the older brother, is a talented actor and has early success in the movies. As a minor, however, he must live under his mother's crushing and greedy control. He is soon drinking heavily. The equally unhappy Jay, a budding writer, becomes a thief. With its sensitive characterizations, this second novel by the author of Hot Wire offers an unflinchingly realistic look at a family in turmoil. And, while much of the story is grim, it ends on a hopeful note. Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal Brown gives us a masterful portrait of the McKinney family, where coming of age is not an easy task. After serving time in prison for real estate fraud, Gina McKinney moves her two sons to Los Angeles, where she continues to evade the persistent IRS. Torn from their compassionate and long-suffering father, Mike and his younger brother Jay are able to offer each other a love and support that transcends their tender years. Mike eventually becomes a budding film star but is bullied into defeat by his domineering mother; Jay's narration is an attempt to understand his brother's fall. Its characters imbued with an honest emotional depth, this work is compelling and profoundly moving. Kimberly G. Allen, Supreme Court Lib., Washington, D.C.Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.