I LOVE YOU, BETH COOPER (Larry Doyle) - May 29/09

This exceedingly brisk little book improves substantially as it progresses, once Doyle drops his overly detail-oriented sensibilities in favor of an irresistibly captivating look at one geek's long (and incredibly eventful) graduation night. Doyle eventually peppers the book with plenty of relatable truths, and transforms it into an unexpectedly authentic look at teenagers. The characters are just so vivid, it becomes increasingly impossible not to embrace their admittedly over-the-top escapades. My only real gripe with the book is that we never really find out what happens with Denis and Beth, as Doyle offers up an awfully vague post-script ("Denis didn't see Beth Cooper again until late August, a week before he had intended to leave for school...") Meaning... What, exactly? Denis decided not to go to Northwestern? He stayed in his small town and abandoned his dream of becoming a doctor to be with Beth? Frustratingly open-ended. But yeah, the book is otherwise right up there with Perrotta's work. ***1/2 out of ****