Great Disasters

Six high school friends from Chicago are driven apart by war in the emotive debut novel from Chambers (after the poetry collection North American Studies). In 2001, narrator Graham Katz and his hockey buddy Caesar (so nicknamed for his love of Little Caesar’s pizza) enter high school. Their innocence is soon shattered by the 9/11 attacks, but for much of their high school years, they maintain tight, booze-fueled bonds with their friends, including the handsome and troubled Ryan, who becomes infatuated with a girl named Jana who often loses patience with his antics. Another friend, the matter-of-fact Neil, tells Ryan to forget Jana, but he remains stuck on her until the end of high school, when he enlists in the Marines. Graham and overachiever Ben, both of whose parents were hippies, join anti-war protests. As their paths and intentions diverge, some friends fall out, and the narrative skips ahead to college and beyond, when one member of the group is married with children while others grapple with alcoholism, isolation, and heartache. Chambers does an excellent job of juggling the many characters, making them all feel alive in the excitement of their youth and laying bare their struggles to meet the demands of adulthood. It’s a memorable story of friendship. (Sept.)