WIREWALKER

A novel about hope and self-reliance in the face of grave danger, Wirewalker is a masterfully written debut that blends gritty realism with moments of fantastical escape.

Fourteen-year-old Clarence is small and slight for his age. His mother--who, like Clarence, was black--was killed before his eyes by a stray bullet four years ago. His white father has abdicated all pretense of parenthood and allowed his drinking buddy Johnnyprice to press Clarence into service as a drug runner in exchange for keeping the family marginally afloat. In his wanderings through his frightening and desolate Richmond neighborhood, Clarence encounters Mona, a huge albino Great Dane with whom he develops a deep bond. He agrees to help her owner, Gina, a crack addict, with Mona's care.

Shortly after meeting Mona, Clarence's father and Johnnyprice take Clarence to his first dog fight, a horrific spectacle run by Y, the dominant drug dealer of the area. Appalled by the carnage, Clarence faints and is ridiculed by the two men. He then vows to be a good person, to live up to his mother's expectations and overcome his impossible environment, finding help from the kindly Bangladeshi immigrant who runs the local convenience store, from his plucky English teacher, and from his imagined interactions with Mona the dog.

Mary Lou Hall lives with her husband, dogs, and dreams in Richmond, Virginia. She teaches at Virginia Commonwealth University and is working on her second novel.