Months later, unable to get Suzie out of his mind, Kevin, his friend Otto, along with Brad, decide to investigate. Nick and his girlfriend Stephanie end up along for the ride. And what a ride it is. I’m not going to break down the plot too much, to keep the spoiler hid, but also because of how crazed it is. There are vengeful wrestlers, walking corpses, psychotic and sadistic cheerleaders, and blood-thirsty strippers who work at a strip club that may have an authentic UFO perched on its roof. The tale is littered with the trashy tropes of the 70’s, and told with a stripped-down style that places horror and humor cheek-by-cheek. Most of the boys are interchangeable, except for Otto, who is written with empathy and smarts, but all of the girls, most of whom are downright evil, are full of life and vigor. Suzie, presumably the Siren of the title, is both enthralling and despicable.
It’s easy to drop brand name and bands, but Mr. Reichenbaugh brings the era to life with equal parts love and disgust. He also does a good job of catching that particular mix of hope and helplessness that seems to define the essence of being a teenager. In this story these characters are literally fighting for their lives, and they have nothing better than bike-chains and scavenged tools because they know that there isn’t a adult that would possibly believe them. Judging them from the way that the adults are portrayed in Sirens, I would say that they are right. I haven’t seen such a scuzzy, seedy and downright incompetent bunch in a long time.
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July 2020
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