If You’re Male, You’ll Probably See Some
of Yourself in Raff Lincoln
Rafferty
Lincoln Loves… is a fanciful, young-adult book about four
teenagers who scarcely knew each other at school, but who bond to care for a
horse they find. The main character,
Rafferty (Raff) Lincoln cares nothing about horses, but he’s idolized Liberty
Ashburn for years. So, when she becomes
involved, so does he. Much of the rest
of the story is Raff trying to catch her eye, with more than one of his hapless
attempts making me laugh aloud…like seeing if he can impress her with how fast
he can ride his bike. Other actions,
however, made me cringe at his impulsiveness and ineptitude. Liberty, on the other hand, is not easily
swayed. As the most popular girl in
school, she wants everyone’s adoration, including Raff’s, but nothing more. It might hurt her image.
The author sprinkles in several serious topics – the price of
popularity (as I mentioned), the effect of confidences betrayed, bullying, and
even child abuse. At such times, one or
more of the figures would come out of character and speak with wisdom beyond
their years, making the story feel a bit artificial at that point. But it is mostly light and humorous…until it gives
way to a rather dramatic ending that will stay with you for a while.
It’s difficult to say who is the appropriate audience for
this book. The synopsis says, “…older young adults,” which is probably
due to the language; Liberty’s use of profanity helps sell her image as the
queen bee and Rafferty’s helps convey the heat of the moment. But while the language says older, much of
the action seems aimed at the younger end of the scale, like suggesting
graffiti that says, “Rafferty Lincoln Loves…” would teach him a lesson. Would young adults say anything to that
beyond, ‘whatever?’ And several of
Raff’s inner thoughts hardly seemed like they came from the mind of a sixteen-year-old
boy, e.g., “She
smelt of summer flowers and linen, probably just her washing powder fragrance.
Heavenly.”
Finally, not to be overlooked – the proceeds from the book go
to the British Thoroughbred Retraining
Centre, a very worthy cause. So, you can
feel good about your purchase, as you chuckle about Raff’s misfortunes and
watch him grow as the pages turn.
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