TESTING CURRENT T (Washington Square Press) Mass Market Paperback – Import, 15 May 1987

The Pulitzer Prize–winning book critic William McPherson displays his literary skills in this, his 1984 debut novel. The approach taken where the narrator is, for the full length of the book which corresponds to one year of his life, an 8 year old boy; this surely is a risky move for a first time novelist. The other characters are to some extent peripheral as they are seen mostly through the innocent eyes of Tommy MacAllister, who is scarcely aware of the Depression and the threat of war in Europe is not even on his radar even though the year is 1939. The adults and the great American dream is shown for what it really is, a vacuous round of days at the country club, golfing, eating, bitching, mindless shopping and of course the whiff of adultery. But Tommy’s innocence is gradually eroded as he gets glimpses of the dark underbelly of the “perfect” family and neighbourhood. There is racism, sexism, discrimination, exploitation of workers, breakdown of relationships and a general malaise and loss of hope. The book is a slow burn which might not be to every reader’s taste as nothing much really happens. MacPhearson succeeds in bringing it off by his scrupulous eye for detail in his observations, his wry humour and steady pace. The scene where Tommy, the main protagonist, finds himself under the table at a dinner party where he sees more than he understands is a classic which will leave even the dead pan reader with a smile on the face. This book carves out for itself a genre for itself (almost) but for some readers it might take some time to discover where it is going. By then it might be too late.

Sometimes reads like a very long list of next door neighbours. They become indistinguishable after a while. Not what I would call gripping

I liked the entire volume. It evoked a past that has vanished forever, Along with its beauty and security, the author depicts the every day problems of racism, adultery, drug use and so on. It is a young boy's introduction to the seductive and puzzling adult world, and how he begins to cope with his discoveries.

It's the story of a summer in the life of a boy growing up in a well-to-do family in a summer vacation town in Michigan. The story is told by a narrator, but the field of vision is entirely limited by the 8-year old's eyes and heart - and the boy misses nothing - so neither do we. His understandings and conclusions are all right out there, as they would be; the reader's are all between-the-lines, where they create an enormously protective attachment to young Tommy. The narration perspective NEVER breaks apart - the narrator never leaves the child's mind for a second, there is not an ounce of precocity or death-by-cuteness or sentimentality or any of those bad things that would add a single grain of sand to the smoothness of the thing. Testing The Current is about as exciting as a tube ride down a lazy, summer river, but about as perfect as the best of them can sometimes be, too.

The book was in perfect shape and sent to me very quickly. My uncle wrote this book years ago, and I have shared with many friends. So I needed another copy for my own library. It is well written and quite sophisticated but from the eyes of a very precocious young man. The story takes place in a small town in northern Michigan, and many of the characters are real life but with names changed. Tommy's older brother, the one that was nice to him, was actually my father. So I have enjoyed this book from Tommy's view point of various family members and friends.