Lance Hendricks plays by the rules. He's first chair trumpet, his 4.0 GPA has won him a college scholarship to study business, and he and his longtime girlfriend are about to have sex for the first time. He's a machine, always moving forward, until his car dies in rural Washington State, far from his Oregon home. The car was a gift from his absent father, and Lance won't leave it, even when the repairs drag out for days. During this unscheduled break from regular life, Lance hangs with the locals at the town's one bar, answers to the nickname Wildman, jumps trains, and spends time with lovely and unconventional Dakota. Debut novelist Geiger strands Lance a couple hours and a world away from comfort, setting up a dramatic climax in which Lance has to decide who to be-the rule-following boy he was raised as or the man who wants to play music and can't stop trembling when he's with Dakota. The book's world is a bit binary-it's either dreams or drudgery-but it effectively conveys the necessity of finding one's true self. Ages 14-up. Agent: Sara Crowe, Pippin Properties. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

On the way to the most epic party of his life, Lance's car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Almost immediately, his car is taken away by a mysterious tow truck, and he is forced to rent out a room at the dingy Trainsong Motel, where he figures he can ride out the night. The Trainsong and the people who live there have other plans. As one night stretches into several days, Lance valedictorian, banker-in-training, and all-around good kid starts to wonder about the choices in his life. The book shines the brightest when it toes the line between real and surreal, highlighting the existential question that high-school graduates face: How do I live the rest of my life? Geiger's cast of misfits and his gritty settings lend a dangerous edge to every interaction Lance has on his sojourn. Ultimately, it is the surreal world that forces Lance to consider what makes a life well lived, and whether or not you are truly alive if you always stick to the plans laid out for you by others.--Suarez, Reinhardt Copyright 2010 Booklist

A high school valedictorian takes a madcap left turn in life. Confident, white, 18-year-old Lance Hendricks' life seems set for him. The all-around good guy's got a gorgeous girlfriend of two years, early admission into Oregon State University on a scholarship, a 4.0 GPA, and he's first chair trumpet player in the high school band. On his way home to Bend, Oregon, after a trip to Seattle, his 1993 Buick breaks down in the middle of nowhere, Washington, and the next five days change his life forever. Train-hopping, improbable brawls, whiskey shots, late-night parties at dive bars, and a mysteriously beautiful and unforgettable young white woman named Dakota are all part of the mix. Geiger's first novel for teens is based in reality, but well-drawn elements of magical realism haunt its boundaries. There are genuine hairpin twists that will have readers wondering where the plot is headed and if it's real. The ethereal Dakota is reminiscent of John Green's Alaska, while the rest of the cast is crass, uncouth, dangerous at times, and winningly human. All of this is amplified by Geiger's ability to spin laugh-out-loud, insight-filled one-liners to keep the pace up while the quieter moments balance the narrative with genuine beauty. A thought-provoking, hilarious, eloquent story of a young man realizing that the world is much larger than the one set up for him. (Fiction. 14-adult) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.