Winger (novel)
 First edition cover of Winger. | |
| Author | Andrew Smith |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Winger |
| Genre | Young-adult fiction Novel |
| Set in | Oregon, U.S.A. |
| Publisher | Simon and Schuster |
Publication date | May 14, 2013 |
| Media type | Paperback |
| Pages | 440 |
| ISBN | 9781442444928 |
| Followed by | Stand-Off |
Winger (2013) is a young adult fiction novel written by American author Andrew Smith. Set in the prestigious boarding school, Pine Mountain, Oregon, the story follows fourteen-year-old Ryan Dean West as he recounts past events that he has experienced in his journey of maturation.
Winger is Andrew Smith's sixth young adult novel, and has garnered mostly favorable reviews. The novel is perhaps one of his most popular works as it is held in 1268 libraries according to WorldCat.
Synopsis
The book opens with protagonist and narrator, Ryan Dean West recalling his first day of junior year at Pine Mountain in which he was overturned and practically forced into a toilet bowl by football players Nick Matthews and Casey Palmer after having witnessed what he believes was marijuana in their possession. Ryan Dean reveals that "Ryan Dean" is in fact his first name and that his intelligence has led him to skip ahead two grades, and warns readers that although he never curses, he does so tremendously when writing. Ryan Dean currently resides in O-Hall, or Opportunity Hall, a dorm for especially deviant students after having been caught hacking a stolen teacher's cell phone account in order to make free calls. Pine Mountain is described as a strict school that bans distractions such as cell phones, iPods, and other electronics and anything that "bordered on the undisciplined or unorthodox" including facial hair, which was not anything Ryan Dean had to worry about. He is assigned a room in O-Hall with Chas Becker, a senior whom Ryan Dean despises. After being invited to play a poker game by Chas, Ryan Dean's former roommates JP, and Seanie warn him about the consequence, a typically humiliating dare given to the losing player. Ryan Dean's longing to emerge into a man is apparent when his best friend and love interest, a junior named Annie, refers to him as "little boy." When playing poker that midnight, Ryan Dean is forced by Chas to drink beer, his first ever alcoholic beverage. Joey wins and determines the consequence for Ryan Dean to urinate in the girls' bathroom and sing a song while doing so. When avoiding being caught by Mrs. Singer, Ryan Dean believes she has cast a diarrhea spell on him which he coincidentally has the next morning. Finding out about him getting drunk in school, Annie becomes upset with Ryan Dean. To make matters worse, Ryan Dean is punched by Casey after coming to Joey's defense. He apologizes to Annie and she accepts it saying that it's typical for boys to act stupid temporarily and plan to talk at Stonehenge. When walking back out of the path of Stonehenge, Ryan reveals his wish was to have her realize that although he is fourteen, he is just as good for her as any other one of the boys at PM and she regretfully reveals her wish was for his wish to come true. He feels as though this may have ruined their friendship. After his very first study session with Chas' girlfriend, Megan, the two begin secretly kissing and flirting with each other frequently which makes him become more confident around Chas. However, he also felt guilty for not knowing how Annie would react knowing about this. With the help of Joey's advice, Ryan realizes what he is doing is wrong, especially when considering Annie's feelings. This is further implied when JP informs Ryan Dean of Annie being his date to the upcoming Halloween dinner, this news sparking outrage and betrayal in Ryan Dean. When playing a resistance drill known as "sumo," he takes all of his anger and frustration out onto JP as he continuously tackles him, but is left with eighteen stitches on a large cut above his left eyebrow when JP retaliates. Flies to Seattle with Annie to stay with her and her family for the weekend. During this time, Megan and Ryan Dean's relationship becomes questionable for Chas resulting in a confrontation between the two. Joey comes to Ryan Dean's defense and warns Chas that he'd kill him if he touched Ryan Dean.