Fiction

Huntington Beach

Huntington Beach

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  • Create Date：2023-01-03 02:41:39
  • Update Date：2025-09-24
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Kem Nunn
  • ISBN：8419089257
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Summary

La mayoría de la gente llega a Huntington Beach en busca de fiestas interminables， el mejor colocón posible y la ola perfecta。 Ike Tucker lo hace para encontrar a su hermana y a los tres hombres que han podido asesinarla。

Rodeado de surfistas bronceados y rubias de cabellos decolorados por el sol， su búsqueda se convertirá en un viaje por un retorcido universo poblado de veteranos de Vietnam enloquecidos， surfistas sádicos， camellos y chicas tan misteriosas como seductoras。 Ike se adentrará en ese oscuro mundo y se verá arrastrado a fiestas que terminan en estallidos violentos， vacaciones nada divertidas， subidones de los que es difícil bajar… y un mar de viejos odios， rencores y sueños rotos。 Un viaje del que no regresará si no tiene cuidado。

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Reviews

Alex ，

I don't know what it is about surfing that makes it fit so well into the thriller genre but this is another entry into that pile。 I don't know what it is about surfing that makes it fit so well into the thriller genre but this is another entry into that pile。 。。。more

Numo ，

3。7

Mientras Leo ，

Me ha gustado mucho el retrato global que deja el autor

Keith Rosson ，

Solid， beautifully written， at times pretty sexually graphic。 The ending - don't want to put any spoilers in here - seems very much a product of the era in which it was written。 Solid， beautifully written， at times pretty sexually graphic。 The ending - don't want to put any spoilers in here - seems very much a product of the era in which it was written。 。。。more

Mike ，

"Those two guys had something， man。 Not just bread。 A goddamn lifestyle- that was what it was about then。 And those two dumb fuckers had it。。。but they blew it。"They blew it。Kem Nunn's first novel （1984） was a strange reading experience。 The cover first of all makes it look like my idea of Danish pornography， an impression enhanced by the cryptic phrase "no exit 18 years"- which I could only assume was some non-native speaker's way of saying that no one under the age of 18 was allowed to leave th "Those two guys had something， man。 Not just bread。 A goddamn lifestyle- that was what it was about then。 And those two dumb fuckers had it。。。but they blew it。"They blew it。Kem Nunn's first novel （1984） was a strange reading experience。 The cover first of all makes it look like my idea of Danish pornography， an impression enhanced by the cryptic phrase "no exit 18 years"- which I could only assume was some non-native speaker's way of saying that no one under the age of 18 was allowed to leave the store with this illicit material。 Well， it turns out that the publisher， No Exit Press， was simply commemorating 18 years in the business。 So that explains that。 But at other times， I found myself glancing over at the cover and thinking that it was one of my Hunter S。 Thompson collections- Hunter having been known to lounge on beaches- the cover image of the Hunter doppelganger made more incongruous by the fact that the protagonist of Nunn's novel is not a balding， tough-looking guy in his 40s， but a young kid。Okay， I'm not sure what No Exit Press was thinking， but rest assured that this book isn't a collection of Hunter's letters， and that Danish pornography is still （presumably） safely confined to Denmark。 So how to describe it？ People might be tempted to call it a coming-of-age story， or a story of self-actualization- and there's a quality to it that invites such generalizations- but I thought of it primarily as a story of initiation。 There's the young protagonist Ike's initiation， for example， into the surfing subculture of Huntington Beach， the same subculture into which his older sister may have disappeared。 But we also eventually learn that two of the shadowy and more experienced characters Ike gets involved with， Preston Marsh and Hound Adams， former buddies and business partners now mysteriously estranged， went through their own initiation- a similar progression from relative innocence to corruption。 There's a blurb from Robert Stone on my copy， and Nunn's prose did in fact remind me of Stone's- a solid B， without blowing me away。 Many of the descriptive passages in particular seemed to have a few more words than necessary， undermining the poetic resonance that they were reaching for a little too obviously。 The dialogue I liked much better， precise and seemingly authentic， both to the characters and to their place and time （which for Nunn I think was just the present day）。 I got a real kick out of the lingo- the way people used to use "trip"， for example， to mean someone's new hobby or way of thinking。 Ike？ He's on that surfing trip， man。 Yeah， you know， getting up every morning at dawn。The MFA influence seemed strong， making itself felt in those descriptive passages as well as in some of the archetypal beats of the plot。 The influence felt to me like a double-edged sword。 Was it well-structured， or too conventionally structured？ Was the language poetic and moving， or studied and sterile？ I often had the feeling that a wild and unrepentant B-movie was trying to break out， and that Nunn kept reigning the wildness back in。 Even the batshit and unexpected （by me， at least） climax that almost threw the book into an entirely different genre （and shed some light on the part of the author page that said Nunn's subsequent novel， Unassigned Territory， had been nominated for the （view spoiler）[Bram Stoker Award （hide spoiler）]）， and which involves what I can only describe as a （view spoiler）[Satanic orgy （hide spoiler）]， felt strangely anodyne， bloodless and sexless， the madness suggested by a （view spoiler）[man wearing a necklace of human skulls （hide spoiler）] tucked comfortably into a few paragraphs and not rendered very vividly。 That said， I found it pretty gripping as a mystery， and respected its absence of easy explanations。 I also thought the book's elegiac quality was authentic and very moving。 As in the post-Vietnam novels of Robert Stone and Newton Thornburg， there's this great sense of loss。 This feeling that paradise was within our grasp， but we missed it somehow。 Preston and Hound had their surf shop and their lifestyle and even some bread， but they blew it。 Tapping the Source inspired the movie Point Break， which I'm not sure I would've picked up on， considering how different the stories are。 But one thing they do have in common is the sincerity of their characters' quests for transcendent experience。 Both stories warn that that pursuit can have a real dark side， but both also allow us to empathize with it。 。。。more

Marisolera ，

Chico de pueblo llega a la costa de California en busca de su hermana desaparecida y se queda impactado por el mundo del surf， las drogas y las fiestas。 Se hace amigo de un motero macarra y lo de la búsqueda de la hermana queda un poco en segundo plano mientras surfea， folla y se droga。 Hay una historia de fondo q solo conocemos al final， y una fuga un tanto de McGyver。 En este libro se basa la película "Le llamaba Bodhi"， aunque a mí no me lo parece。 Me parece q deja las cosas a medio cocer， qu Chico de pueblo llega a la costa de California en busca de su hermana desaparecida y se queda impactado por el mundo del surf， las drogas y las fiestas。 Se hace amigo de un motero macarra y lo de la búsqueda de la hermana queda un poco en segundo plano mientras surfea， folla y se droga。 Hay una historia de fondo q solo conocemos al final， y una fuga un tanto de McGyver。 En este libro se basa la película "Le llamaba Bodhi"， aunque a mí no me lo parece。 Me parece q deja las cosas a medio cocer， que no remata。 。。。more

Skylar Weiss ，

Beautiful writing and imagery。 The plot does get weird towards the end

Justin Lee ，

A boy leaves home to find himself。 It's a story that has been told many times。 I'm just not sure any of those iterations live up to Kem Nunn's Tapping the Source。 At its heart， it's a story about finding yourself without getting lost in the ennui of life。 It's easy to get wrapped up in the booze， drugs。， and girls。 Looking at yourself in the mirror and coming to the realization that you don't know who you really are is a tougher pill to swallow。 A boy leaves home to find himself。 It's a story that has been told many times。 I'm just not sure any of those iterations live up to Kem Nunn's Tapping the Source。 At its heart， it's a story about finding yourself without getting lost in the ennui of life。 It's easy to get wrapped up in the booze， drugs。， and girls。 Looking at yourself in the mirror and coming to the realization that you don't know who you really are is a tougher pill to swallow。 。。。more

Paul Murphy ，

I found it hard to put this book down。 Nunn draws you into Ike's world and the world of Huntington Beach。 I've never surfed but after reading Nunn's descriptions of it， I wanted to。 I thought the writing was good and it got dark in places。 I thought the end could have been better but I still really enjoyed it。 Nunn has a good writing style and I will be checking out some more of his books。 I found it hard to put this book down。 Nunn draws you into Ike's world and the world of Huntington Beach。 I've never surfed but after reading Nunn's descriptions of it， I wanted to。 I thought the writing was good and it got dark in places。 I thought the end could have been better but I still really enjoyed it。 Nunn has a good writing style and I will be checking out some more of his books。 。。。more

Andy Haddon ，

Tapping The Source is as much about the death of the American Dream as it is about a kid discovering surfing while he searches for his sister。The American Dream is something only Americans believe in， and so only an American writer can pull apart the myth and expose the brutal failure of the American experiment - whether that's in the counter culture gonzo journalism of Hunter S Thompson or the genre fiction of people like Kem Nunn and James Crumley。The American Dream has its roots in the coloni Tapping The Source is as much about the death of the American Dream as it is about a kid discovering surfing while he searches for his sister。The American Dream is something only Americans believe in， and so only an American writer can pull apart the myth and expose the brutal failure of the American experiment - whether that's in the counter culture gonzo journalism of Hunter S Thompson or the genre fiction of people like Kem Nunn and James Crumley。The American Dream has its roots in the colonisation of the North American continent， when Europeans beholden to neither lord or master could hack their own futures from the frontier wilderness， or else build an enterprise and fortune on the Eastern seaboard。 And as the the eastern cities and towns took in more and more immigrants from Europe， so the colonists pushed ever westward in the search of the American Dream， committing government sanctioned genocide as they went。Huntington Beach， Kem Nunn's setting for Tapping The Source， represents one of those last refuges of the American Dream clutching the Pacific Coast， a mecca for the strays and outcasts who have simply run out of places to search。 And here Nunn hammers home the death of the American Dream - in the descriptions of a town coming apart at the seams， seedy and ruthless， but also in the story of what 'Tapping The Source' actually meant to the girl who cynically coined the phrase and drew the logo。Nunn's characters are believable stoners， losers， grifters， bikers and yes， surfers; the sad and the lost。 I'm a fan of Willy Vlautin's fiction and there are resemblances between Nunn's characters like Ike and Michelle， and Vlautin's protagonists。 These are the flotsam and jetsam set adrift by the death of the American Dream - rootless and powerless in a world of rampant corruption， cynical capitalism and sexual exploitation。 Nunn includes all of those elements here。 In other reviews many people are critical of the final chapters of the book， but if you read Tapping The Source as an expose of the myth of the American Dream then it makes sense that the story culminates in such a weird and jarring final act。Written in 1984， the years between then and now have exposed a multitude of sins， most of them far more otherworldly and unbelievable than Nunn's ending。 In the US， countless stories of death cults and sex cults; the high profile conviction of paedophile pimp Epstein and his subsequent death and his close relationship with Prince Andrew。 In the UK， Jimmy Savile， knighted by the Queen and a friend of the Royal Family exposed as a predatory paedophile who would visit hospital wards at night and molest children in their hospital beds。 In contrast to these and many more stories of procurement and sexual exploitation， Nunn's ending seems wholly realistic and actually ahead of it's time in drawing a line between the collapse of society - and the exploitation of the people left behind - by wealthy and predatory individuals who believe they are above the law。Forget the Point Break comparisons， this book is much deeper than that。 。。。more

Alex Abbott ，

One of the most hyper-specifically targeted towards me things I think i have ever read。

Mark ，

Surfing， motorcycles and crime noir - a book containing these ingredients was 100% going to be my shit。A lad named Ike Turner is told by a young surfer that his sister went to Mexico with three men who returned without her。 With their names scribbled on a piece of paper and scraping together what meagre savings he could， Ike Greyhound’s it to Huntington Beach。 California is a sunny place full of shady people， a dangerous place to go gumshoeing， especially for a nineteen-year-old。 So， he hangs wi Surfing， motorcycles and crime noir - a book containing these ingredients was 100% going to be my shit。A lad named Ike Turner is told by a young surfer that his sister went to Mexico with three men who returned without her。 With their names scribbled on a piece of paper and scraping together what meagre savings he could， Ike Greyhound’s it to Huntington Beach。 California is a sunny place full of shady people， a dangerous place to go gumshoeing， especially for a nineteen-year-old。 So， he hangs with a dude named Preston， a Vietnam vet， seasoned surfer and biker who takes Ike under his wing。 But that doesn't stop Ike circling the drain of violence， sex， bikes， parties， murder， surfing， drugs， punk， crime and corruption to find answers。It was a fun， cool， easy going read that I finished in no time， a character study using effortless writing。 An iconic surfing novel， his book was apparently used as source material for Point Break， but you won't find Johnny Utah running after Dead Presidents in here。I liked Ike。 A kid who is street-smart tough but naive， more like his impressionable， wild-streak sister than he realises， learning a few things about himself along the way。 This is no Beach Boys everybody having a sweet time kind of book。 It can be bleak， often seedy， and plunges headlong into some dark waters。The characters are great and I enjoyed the encounters and the complicated idolatry relationship Ike forms along the way。 This book has languished in my TBR for years， think I spotted it in a charity shop and gave it a home。 Nunn was a writer on the show Deadwood， one of my absolute favourite pieces of television， so it didn't take a lot of arm-twisting to fork over some cash for it。I live next to a beach in a surfing town， the air strong with sea salt and it provided a great atmosphere while reading this gnarly coming of age mystery。 I also had fun putting together a stoner rock/doom soundtrack for it too 😊I couldn't put it down and look forward to reading Kem's other surf novels。 There are certainly not enough surfing noir novels out there for my liking。 。。。more

Tom Savino ，

I enjoyed it until the incessant raunchiness with unnecessary details compelled me to cast it aside unfinished。 Very disappointing。

Chloe ，

pretty sure an actual second grader wrote this

Adrien ，

Hard boiled Surf-Noir from the 80s？ You bet I lapped this up。

Jay Woods ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This is an uneven book。 I was right there with it for about the first 25 chapters or so。 Then at the end of Part II it takes a turn。 And then later another turn-further left toward darkness and depravity。 I was writing about it on a few occasions because it was so good initially， then it was kind of unsettling， and in the end， I don’t even know？ Unpleasant？ I would love to hear what other readers think about the book。 This is what I wrote after the first 100+ pages:This is a great book。 It has a This is an uneven book。 I was right there with it for about the first 25 chapters or so。 Then at the end of Part II it takes a turn。 And then later another turn-further left toward darkness and depravity。 I was writing about it on a few occasions because it was so good initially， then it was kind of unsettling， and in the end， I don’t even know？ Unpleasant？ I would love to hear what other readers think about the book。 This is what I wrote after the first 100+ pages:This is a great book。 It has a way of getting at the experience of the main character， Ike， in a way that reveals his naiveté just as it feels for a young man。 No doubt this was the experience of the author coming through， to a certain extent， just as it was my own experience。 And that is what gives the book it’s stickiness-for the male reader， it tracks a parallel path that many men either recollect or remember via observation。 I like reading books with primary female characters， because I’m interested in their particular experience。 This book may interest some female readers。 But it definitely has a pull for the male reader looking back at their youth， or still making their way as a young man。The writing about place is particularly strong。 First the desert: its sounds， loneliness， heat （and cold）， and weather patterns。 Then Huntington Beach， near LA， in its surf-town youth。 Again， it’s the sounds: music， partying， motorcycles， and the ocean itself。 Some of the other things that the author paid attention to in the desert reappear near the ocean。 The behavior of men-older ones， not kids。 In the desert， it’s Ike’s step-grandfather， who owns a shop。 At the beach it’s Preston， a local biker， who also ends up schooling Ike on surfing and making his way in the town， which is more dangerous than Ike understands， even though he was warned initially by the kid with two boards on top of his Camaro。I read to wind down at night， almost always a novel。 This book has the opposite effect-it winds you up because it’s so compelling。 I might have to start reading it during the day。This is what I wrote after Part II:Tapping The Source has gone from desert and surf sublime to surf noir， to drug and biker noir to drug and sex decadence and raunch， and finally to satanic cult ritual gone bust。 It is unbelievable that the book has quite literally transcended from utterly gripping noir into something I couldn’t recommend to a “nice” person， or someone not willing to endure some nastiness。 I figured it would get more violent， and there would be confrontations。 But I didn’t think the drugs and sex and using young women like mechanical parts that can be easily replaced， that are just attached to the “machine” of Huntington Beach would come to pass。 But it did， and although I’m compelled to read to the end， it feels like what was potentially a great book is diminished。 Maybe my sensibilities are similar to the dull people that Hound Adams disparages in the book。 But perhaps I’ve become more healthy and possessing of respectful human values， not the kind of person who would interested in Hound’s “choices。” It has gotten ugly toward the end。This is what I wrote at the end:The final chapters were milder， and created a more retrospective ending than I had anticipated， although there was an obligatory fight between Ike and Frank Baker。 Ike finally holds his own， which by the way is realistic-people don’t usually come out on top in their early fights。 Frank then spills the beans on all of the interior questions that had been asked by Ike in the 3rd person limited narrative。 It’s not completely satisfying， because some of those questions are forgotten， even though as a reader， I found the first half of the book riveting。If the first half is riveting， this book goes riveting-mysterious-revolting-evaporating。 The end sort of comes together and just hangs there。 Ike is changed， he has learned， but it also feels sort of empty and lonely。 In the true noir style， that’s how it’s supposed to go I guess。 Still， something doesn’t feel quite right and the end isn’t satisfying。 It felt as if noble truths were to be realized at some point， but by the end of the story， it either doesn’t happen at all， or it’s forgotten in the bloodshed and violence in the last third of the book。 。。。more

S。B。 Gilfillan ，

I found this book while living in Newport Beach， CA。 many years ago， which is the area in which it takes place， that and Huntington Beach， and quickly became a fan of Mr Nunn's work。 I've recommended it to many people over the years， and believe it holds up well as time goes by。 I found this book while living in Newport Beach， CA。 many years ago， which is the area in which it takes place， that and Huntington Beach， and quickly became a fan of Mr Nunn's work。 I've recommended it to many people over the years， and believe it holds up well as time goes by。 。。。more

Jessica Carr ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A great noir mystery updated to the modern era。 Then it falls apart at the end。 Ritual satanic sacrifice is hard to pull off in fiction and movies。 It always comes off as unintentionally funny instead of scary。 The ending of this novel isn't funny exactly， but it isn't scary either。 It's just so implausible。 You don't have to sell your soul （or sacrifice someone else's） for empty waves in California。 Rich people buy multimillion dollar mansions with private beach access all the time。 A great noir mystery updated to the modern era。 Then it falls apart at the end。 Ritual satanic sacrifice is hard to pull off in fiction and movies。 It always comes off as unintentionally funny instead of scary。 The ending of this novel isn't funny exactly， but it isn't scary either。 It's just so implausible。 You don't have to sell your soul （or sacrifice someone else's） for empty waves in California。 Rich people buy multimillion dollar mansions with private beach access all the time。 。。。more

Toby Muse ，

A great book。 The writing is tough， the plot moves， the descriptions are beautiful， the characters hard and recognizable。 And such a melancholic and beautiful sense of the best is long gone， but we stuck around anyway。

Melissa ，

Ok I see you surf noir 🌊 🖤 3。5 stars

Chad ，

Without any spoilers， this book could leave you feeling。。。 gross。 I was very disappointed in that。 Given how surfing in the ocean can be so revitalizing I never expected a book about surfing to leave me feeling like that。 Despite the author's poetic prose， the novel failed to capture that feeling。 That feeling of refreshment from the grime of the rat race getting rinsed off in the ocean and how the stress and problems of life can wash away when one surfs， none of that was there。 There was no rev Without any spoilers， this book could leave you feeling。。。 gross。 I was very disappointed in that。 Given how surfing in the ocean can be so revitalizing I never expected a book about surfing to leave me feeling like that。 Despite the author's poetic prose， the novel failed to capture that feeling。 That feeling of refreshment from the grime of the rat race getting rinsed off in the ocean and how the stress and problems of life can wash away when one surfs， none of that was there。 There was no revival from surfing。 The spiritual side of surfing was captured beautifully， but the psychological aspect just wasn't there。 Perhaps that's just the author's opinion of the outdoor activity。The book was a real page-turner。 I've heard a lot of complaints about the ending and I pretty much get why but my problem was more about the middle when things got randomly gross and awkward and the fact that when reading the novel I never felt like it took place the 80s。 It seemed more like the 90s to me。 Maybe that's because of this book's close association with the 90s Hollywood classic， Point Break， or because the author left most of the bright and fun clothing and hair that was the 80s。 Maybe when the author wrote this in the 80s， he was so embarrassed by the 80s that he just crossed out most of those descriptions。 Whether it was Black Monday on Wall Street or the characters of this book getting beat up， the 80s were a strange time where everyone was having fun until someone （or everyone） got hurt。 While the book captured that aspect of the 80s stupendously， visually， the 80s were not there， and visually the 80s should be unmistakable。 Especially at the beach。 。。。more

Neil Sarver ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I don't really know how to review this。I don't want to go into the details of what bothered me， because it's essentially the "solution" to the mysteries of the story， and I'm still processing how I feel about what it all means。But I'll say that this book was absolutely owning me up until then。 I was solidly expecting to be calling this one of my favorite books ever。So， the fact that the reveal is incredibly disappointing and doesn't work for me at all is really， really frustrating。 It's a reveal I don't really know how to review this。I don't want to go into the details of what bothered me， because it's essentially the "solution" to the mysteries of the story， and I'm still processing how I feel about what it all means。But I'll say that this book was absolutely owning me up until then。 I was solidly expecting to be calling this one of my favorite books ever。So， the fact that the reveal is incredibly disappointing and doesn't work for me at all is really， really frustrating。 It's a reveal I'd have really enjoyed in a different book， but didn't work for me on any level here。Now， that sequence， the climax， is remarkably short and followed by a denouement that mostly recovers what I had been loving about the book。 But that's still sticking out there， taunting me， and I don't know how to deal with that。 。。。more

anonymousreader ，

to-read

Jack Heath ，

Synopsis: Ike has come to Huntington beach to search for his lost sister。 Was she murdered？ It's a crazy and extremely dangerous scene。 Synopsis: Ike has come to Huntington beach to search for his lost sister。 Was she murdered？ It's a crazy and extremely dangerous scene。 。。。more

Ryan ，

Kind of went a bit extreme in the end， but fun that I went to Huntington Beach the next weekend。

J Chad ，

Boringly bad writing

Jazzy ，

The store wasn't bad， but it wasn't great。 I feel like once you hit part three， the author rushed through the ending。 Grasping onto the cult hype that was becoming popular for this time period。 The store wasn't bad， but it wasn't great。 I feel like once you hit part three， the author rushed through the ending。 Grasping onto the cult hype that was becoming popular for this time period。 。。。more

James Bechtel ，

Surfer-noir in the 1980s。

Hector ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 At the beginning of quarantine I tasked myself with reading more and went on a little book shopping spree。 I did a lot of due research so I wouldn't buy a bust and was quickly enticed by Tapping the Source， a surf-noir （incredible genre name） set in 80's Huntington Beach。 Being from the same county as HB and knowing its reputation I added the book to my cart。 Sadly though I am just a human and neglected reading for a good while till recently when I picked this out from my collection and gave it At the beginning of quarantine I tasked myself with reading more and went on a little book shopping spree。 I did a lot of due research so I wouldn't buy a bust and was quickly enticed by Tapping the Source， a surf-noir （incredible genre name） set in 80's Huntington Beach。 Being from the same county as HB and knowing its reputation I added the book to my cart。 Sadly though I am just a human and neglected reading for a good while till recently when I picked this out from my collection and gave it a go。 What I got was a thrilling coming of age permeated with regret， following metaphorical ghosts roaming the city's beaches and pier， unable or unwilling to pass on from what was their home。The protagonist， Ike， serves as a medium， a naive boy with hick vibes and an appetite for more。 Back home， Ike only knew a broken family and a barren wasteland。 Marred with sexual appetites， loneliess and a quiet rage， he tries forcing himself on his own sister which becomes a large source of guilt for him。 He roams those same beaches in search of is his sister after being alerted that she's gone missing， but in reality he roams the city for his own identity and philosophy。 Through trials and tribulations engaging in these spirits' games he creates a path for his self-discovery and surprises himself with his own resolve。 What's to lose when all you have is a deadbeat family living in a dusty old town？ Ike fist-fights， fucks strangers， does blow and cheats on the first girl he's ever had。 He continues to push the limit because in Huntington Beach you can be any kind of monster you'd like。 Ike figures he's a tangential fuck up， so why not test the limits？ His dark philosophy causes him to lose everything good he had accumulated in the city。 He comes to term with his actions and the people he's hurt， hoping things can be the same but knowing they can't。 He salvages what he can from rubble， humbled and grateful。 The ghosts finally pass and Ike moves forward with who he's become。 It was a superbly done coming of age， but the final third of the book felt a bit ham-fisted。 The author spent a great amount of effort setting up the story it almost felt as if he wasted the energy and had to fit it all into the end。 It didn't feel as impactful as it could have， but the characters and their journeys were more than enough to make up for that。 Four stars！ 。。。more

Richard Kravitz ，

I found out about this book by reading an excerpt of Ike's trip to the Ranch in a book called Natural State。 I really liked the start of the book and was/am excited to recommend it to my daughter （learning to surf） and my ex-brother in law （long time Socal surfer）。 The subject matter of the book became quite sordid and the surfing aspect took a bit of a backseat in the story as the good and bad guys and the criminality of the situation evolved。 It wasn't too graphic， but not stuff I really like I found out about this book by reading an excerpt of Ike's trip to the Ranch in a book called Natural State。 I really liked the start of the book and was/am excited to recommend it to my daughter （learning to surf） and my ex-brother in law （long time Socal surfer）。 The subject matter of the book became quite sordid and the surfing aspect took a bit of a backseat in the story as the good and bad guys and the criminality of the situation evolved。 It wasn't too graphic， but not stuff I really like to think about。 Unfortunately my time spent living in South Mission beach （San Diego） in the mid 80's did confirm some of the stories of wayward young girls in the beach scene， albeit a vast minority。 Still it wasn't pleasant （as a father） to read about。I thought the last 3rd of the book was good also as the crime（s） were unraveled。 All in all it was a good novel， very well written and I would read Kem Nunn again。 And I will recommend the book， although I will be upfront that there are some unpleasant sections。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Huntington Beach

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Huntington Beach&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Huntington Beach&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0