Gym Candy

Gym Candy, by Carl Deuker
 
Young Mick Johnson wants nothing more than to please his ex pro football father and make the high school varsity team. But when faced with the possibility of being benched for the season and losing the fame he gained as the team's star player, Mick resorts to pumping up his performance with steroids, leading to unexpected consequences. Mick's plight, told in the first person, is recounted in Carl Deuker's perceptive and straightforward novel Gym Candy. Through Mick's eyes, we see his need to succeed overcome his common sense, resulting in a shocking and surprising (I was surprised!) turn of events, with a final chapter development that leaves the reader very unsettled.

Deuker's accurate ear for dialogue and his vivid description of the football game scenes and other moments, like the ones between Mick and his father, never strike a false note. The anti-drug message is implicit but never heavy-handed. Gym Candy is a compelling and powerful novel that holds the reader's attention from start to finish. Just don't expect a tidy happy ending.
-Ed