Chinese Handcuffs -- Chris Crutcher

There are a few Chris Crutcher books that I haven't read.  Yes, I know, shocking and sad.  But true. 

Reading to older ones feels strange.  In a lot of ways, they're the same.  His message is the same: Truth is always the way to go.  And his humor is the same.  Even back in the early books, he can crack me up with one sentence:

From the day I first saw her at Chief Joe, the first day of our junior year, I was drawn to her like a masochist to hot tongs.

or:

Saying Jen is "not bad" on the academic front is like saying Jerry Falwell trifles in fundamental Christianity.

The difference is that they're... more dramatic, maybe?  The later ones, Whale Talk & Ironman specifically, feel more realistic.  I think he's improved a lot as a writer--he doesn't seem to rely on big action sequences to reach the climax of the story anymore.  Even with the problems, though, early Crutcher is still better than a whole lot of other stuff.  (He mentions a sledding hill in this one.  Weird).