A review by earlyandalone
Citrus County by John Brandon

5.0

All of the main characters in this gripping novel are lost. Lost in a profoundly human way, just trying to find their way in a cold and ambiguous world. Toby is 14, an orphan being raised by his Uncle Neal, a man so deeply disturbed he brews a pitcher of homemade hemlock every week just to remind himself of his choice to keep living. Shelby is a transplant from another part of the country, moved to Central Florida with her father and little sister following her mother's tragic death. She is unlike the other students at Citrus Middle, and she is drawn to Toby's unknowability. Mr. Hibma, a teacher at their school, triangulates the narrative. At 29, he's just as lost as Toby and Shelby, fighting to define what it is he wants from life. All of these characters are struggling with the different facets and longings that dominate their thoughts, pulling them in different directions, trying to turn them into different people with every passing day.

When Toby does something irreparable, he's forced to make the ultimate choice--does he want to be a good person leading a good life, or succumb to the evil impulses he feels are at the core of his being?

Even if you don't know much about the wasteland of Central Florida, this novel is well worth the read for its suspenseful and provoking story.