We Ride Upon Sticks Book Review

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Leah Hunter, Staff Writer

We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry

★★★☆☆

 

We Ride Upon Sticks recounts the experiences of a high school field hockey team as they make their way through their senior year. When they don’t perform as well as they would have hoped, they decide to make a deal with the devil. With their location being directly next to Salem, Massachusetts, it isn’t completely unnatural. They all sign a poster of Emilio Estevez and tie blue socks to their arms or legs and become bonded, a true team.

The novel shows each member’s unique perspective of the events of the year. It follows each teammate’s journey and the increased level of corruption among each of them, although some would argue it isn’t corruption—it’s coming of age.

This witchy novel is witty, and is written as a collective we, with the narrator being every teammate as a type of group-think. Despite the interesting writing and plot, the book moves at a snail’s pace. It’s a bit unclear what the plot really is, and the story is more of a memoir of the year.  The ending however, redeems it. The conclusion brings a proper ending to each team member’s development and fully rounds out their characters. It brings a unique view to high school in the 80s and the experience of playing a team sport.