Harriet Klausner's Review Archive
The parents of eighteen years old Griffin Smith are divorced. His mom remarried Maxwell the "Mediocre" novelist; they live on a nonworking farm in Wyoming. His father is engaged to Rhonda the younger woman cliché right out of a novel. The other member of Griffin's extended family is his younger five year old brother. Everyone assumes Griffin has adjusted to separated parents living in two states, but he has not as they are too busy with their own troubles and rationalizations to truly care about him or realize he lives a "secret life". Thus he disciplines himself quite harshly when he believes he has done something wrong like getting drunk.
Now Griffin is heading to California to attend college. Dad insists on a road show consisting of Griffin, dad, the cliché, the younger brother Cole, and the best friend Colby. All Griffin wants is to fly to Lewis College to meet his cross country teammates and his pen pal the Carrot, but instead will receive five life lessons while on this bad idea road show from his traveling companions who one turns out to be a Judah, his estranged mom, and most of all the angry coyote he ran over.
BAD IDEA is a terrific coming of age tale starring an interesting teen who has big issues but neither of his parents seem aware that he has any problems. Griffin tells the tale of his escapades as he heads west and gains five lessons he will use as solace for the rest of his life starting with the coyote. Readers will empathize with him as he struggles with life and learns from his adventures. The story line is well written, often amusing, but always gripping, as Todd & Jedd Hafer provide deep messages inside a poignant tale of a troubled offspring of divorcees.