Tales of the Madman Underground by John Barnes

4 stars -- I liked it...

I waited way too long to write about Tales of the Madman Undergroud, but I do know that my initial reaction after reading it was that it was a good book. I just didn't fall in love with it in any way.

Karl is a 17-year-old boy beginning his senior year of high school in the '70s, and he has strict plans to be normal. That means ditching all of his friends (even his best friend) and acting normal. If he can pull it off for a few weeks, he'll be able to avoid becoming part of the Madman Underground (the name the teens in in-school counseling have given themselves) for the last year of his schooling and have a chance at being viewed as "normal."

Unfortunately, Karl has a lot of problems he'll need to overcome to achieve his goal. His mom is an alcoholic who steals the stashes of money he hides. And he has to work multiple jobs at a time so that he'll have money to take care of himself and his mother as well as be able to get out of his hometown as soon as he graduates. His mom's cats keep getting killed by a raccoon, and Karl never knows how she'll react. Besides, rumors are swirling that it's Karl killing the cats instead. Oh, and also, Karl's attracted to the new girl, Marti, who just happens to be dating his more-than-likely-gay ex-best friend.

Despite its length and rather sad topic (abused and neglected children), Tales of the Madman Underground is a really humorous story with an unexpectedly positive ending. Karl eventually realizes that "normal" isn't all it's cracked up to be if it means not having his friends, and certain adults step up and prove that they can be trustworthy.

It's worth a read, but it's not one I'd immediately jump to if someone asked for a recommendation.