JOKER by Ranulfo
    Category:  Contemporary
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 9+
    Release Date:  8/1/06
    Publisher:  HarperTempest
    Reviewed by:  Jocelyn Pearce
    Rating:  5 Stars


    Apparently, JOKER is the classic story of HAMLET, torn to pieces, set in modern-day Australia, and stuck back
    together again. Having never read HAMLET, I can't say anything about JOKER 's relationship to that story, but I can
    definitely say that it is a brilliant novel.

    It's the real story of Matt, a teenage boy with problems like any other, and the story of Joker, one that blurs the lines
    of fact and fiction. Joker drives Matt to do things he would not normally do, to say things he would not normally say,
    to eventually throw away his life as a popular, athletic high school student with a great girlfriend and great friends.
    Perhaps the change came when Ray, his best friend, died in a fire; even if Ray's murder wasn't the cause of the change
    in Matt, it couldn't have helped.

    Now Matt is never alone; he always has Joker, though it is never clear who or what Joker is, or if he is a figment of
    Matt's imagination or if he is real, or maybe even another part of Matt himself.

    This is a beautifully written, at times disturbing, and certainly moving story. Reminiscent of a darker Francesca Lia
    Block, Ranulfo follows Matt as he destroys his life, runs away, and eventually returns, seeing all the possibilities of
    what could lie ahead of him. Readers looking for straightforward, clear, easy to follow, black-and-white stories will
    not find that in JOKER, but anyone looking for fantastic writing, realistic characters, and a story that's not so easily
    pulled apart will love this novel.
Joker
by Ranulfo