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The California Quartet #2
Valley Boy
Ricky Edwards lives, works, and plays in Centerville, a small California town in the middle of the Valley. Ricky has a gift for music but he’d rather fight, drink beer, chase girls, and debeak turkeys. He debeaks turkeys because he wants a Lifters Car Club jacket with red lettering on the back. He fights because his long-time pal, Linard Polk, teaches him about violence, fast cars, and guns—which drives Teresa, Ricky’s hyper-religious mother, nuts. She wants Ricky to escape the legacy of his daddy, an Okie skirt chaser who abandoned the family for a honky-tonk preacher’s daughter gone bad. If Ricky can just get out of Centerville, maybe he can make his mark. Valley Boy is Book Two of Remick’s California Quartet series.
300 pages, Paperback
First published April 17, 2012
About the author
Jack Remick
49 books47 followersAn accomplished novelist and poet, this author’s body of work explores the complexities of identity, isolation, moral conflict, and the human condition across shifting cultural and psychological landscapes. Blending literary depth with philosophical undertones, their writing spans novels, poetry, and collaborative works, often marked by introspection, existential tension, and bold narrative structure.
BOOKS
Valley Boy (Second Edition)
A defining work that captures themes of dislocation, personal struggle, and the search for meaning, set against a vividly rendered backdrop.
No Century for Apologies
A critically recognized novel shortlisted for the prestigious Hoffer Grand Prize (2023), examining the weight of history, memory, and consequence.
Citadel (A Novel)
A compelling narrative that navigates power, confinement, and the structures, both internal and external, that shape human lives.
Blood
A stark and evocative work that confronts primal instincts, violence, and emotional fracture.
The California Quartet
A sweeping four-part literary series mapping psychological and cultural terrain through interconnected narratives:
The Deification — Book One
Valley Boy — Book Two (First Edition)
The Book of Changes — Book Three
Trio of Lost Souls — Book Four
Gabriela and the Widow
An award-winning novel celebrated for its emotional depth and exploration of womanhood and resilience. Recipient of Best Women’s Fiction at the Orangeberry Virtual Book Expo; Montaigne Medal Finalist; Book of the Year Award Finalist.
COLLABORATIVE WORK
The Weekend Novelist Writes a Mystery (co-authored with Robert J. Ray)
A practical and insightful guide for aspiring writers, combining craft expertise with accessible instruction on constructing compelling mystery narratives.
POETRY
Satori: Poems
A contemplative collection reflecting moments of clarity, awakening, and inner transformation.
Songs of Sadness, Joy and Despair for the Anthropocene
A powerful and unflinching poetic work blending long-form verse and the sequence Josie Delgado, capturing the emotional and existential weight of modern existence.
ADDITIONAL FICTION
Doubles in a Game of Chance
A surreal and haunting novel centered on a bureaucratic nightmare, following a disoriented protagonist trapped in an absurd, relentless system.
Man Alone: The Dark Book
A deeply introspective and shadowed narrative examining solitude, identity, and the darker edges of the human psyche.
BOOKS
Valley Boy (Second Edition)
A defining work that captures themes of dislocation, personal struggle, and the search for meaning, set against a vividly rendered backdrop.
No Century for Apologies
A critically recognized novel shortlisted for the prestigious Hoffer Grand Prize (2023), examining the weight of history, memory, and consequence.
Citadel (A Novel)
A compelling narrative that navigates power, confinement, and the structures, both internal and external, that shape human lives.
Blood
A stark and evocative work that confronts primal instincts, violence, and emotional fracture.
The California Quartet
A sweeping four-part literary series mapping psychological and cultural terrain through interconnected narratives:
The Deification — Book One
Valley Boy — Book Two (First Edition)
The Book of Changes — Book Three
Trio of Lost Souls — Book Four
Gabriela and the Widow
An award-winning novel celebrated for its emotional depth and exploration of womanhood and resilience. Recipient of Best Women’s Fiction at the Orangeberry Virtual Book Expo; Montaigne Medal Finalist; Book of the Year Award Finalist.
COLLABORATIVE WORK
The Weekend Novelist Writes a Mystery (co-authored with Robert J. Ray)
A practical and insightful guide for aspiring writers, combining craft expertise with accessible instruction on constructing compelling mystery narratives.
POETRY
Satori: Poems
A contemplative collection reflecting moments of clarity, awakening, and inner transformation.
Songs of Sadness, Joy and Despair for the Anthropocene
A powerful and unflinching poetic work blending long-form verse and the sequence Josie Delgado, capturing the emotional and existential weight of modern existence.
ADDITIONAL FICTION
Doubles in a Game of Chance
A surreal and haunting novel centered on a bureaucratic nightmare, following a disoriented protagonist trapped in an absurd, relentless system.
Man Alone: The Dark Book
A deeply introspective and shadowed narrative examining solitude, identity, and the darker edges of the human psyche.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 17, 2013
Valley Boy by Jack Remick is the story of a boy caught between the ambivalence of adolescence and the demands of a future. He wishes for what the boy in him wants, fast cars, love and sex, freedom from the repressions of maternal authority and religion, and rushes toward friendship, belonging pulling him into a will of desolation.
What Remick does with this premise is the ride of our own lives looking for meaning. We are at once with Ricky and shaking our heads as we watch our own lives reshape and challenge us to new beginnings.
The book is a language song, filled with tiny surprises. On a first date with a forbidden woman, Ricky sits in his car with her. "Ricky looked at her. Her face. Her lips. Her eyes." In his youthful innocence. "He took another deep breath and reach for her hand . . . and she ate him alive."
Metaphors and similes pour from his pen with startling beauty and application.
"... girls with their white dresses, girls with their hair in curls down their back, hair done up with white and pink ribbons like present waiting to be unwrapped."
If you love true literature and wish to taste the beauty of words and depth of the human condition VALLEY BOY is a book to be read again and again.
Joel Chafetz
What Remick does with this premise is the ride of our own lives looking for meaning. We are at once with Ricky and shaking our heads as we watch our own lives reshape and challenge us to new beginnings.
The book is a language song, filled with tiny surprises. On a first date with a forbidden woman, Ricky sits in his car with her. "Ricky looked at her. Her face. Her lips. Her eyes." In his youthful innocence. "He took another deep breath and reach for her hand . . . and she ate him alive."
Metaphors and similes pour from his pen with startling beauty and application.
"... girls with their white dresses, girls with their hair in curls down their back, hair done up with white and pink ribbons like present waiting to be unwrapped."
If you love true literature and wish to taste the beauty of words and depth of the human condition VALLEY BOY is a book to be read again and again.
Joel Chafetz
December 25, 2025
Valley Boy is a powerful, beautifully written coming-of-age novel that captures the restless spirit of youth and the weight of inherited choices. Jack Remick brings Centerville to life with such authenticity that it feels less like a setting and more like a living character shaping Ricky Edwards at every turn. Ricky is deeply flawed, reckless, and searching, yet impossible not to root for. His love for music, his attraction to danger, and his desire to escape a small-town destiny make him feel incredibly real.
What makes this book truly special is how Remick balances grit with heart. The relationship between Ricky and his mother, Teresa, is especially moving, her rigid faith and fear for her son clash painfully with his hunger for freedom. The shadow of Ricky’s absent father hangs over the story, adding emotional depth and realism. The themes of identity, masculinity, rebellion, and hope are handled with nuance and honesty. Valley Boy doesn’t romanticize trouble, but it does compassionately explore why people are drawn to it. This is an unforgettable installment in the California Quartet and a deeply human story about trying to outrun your past while figuring out who you’re meant to become.
What makes this book truly special is how Remick balances grit with heart. The relationship between Ricky and his mother, Teresa, is especially moving, her rigid faith and fear for her son clash painfully with his hunger for freedom. The shadow of Ricky’s absent father hangs over the story, adding emotional depth and realism. The themes of identity, masculinity, rebellion, and hope are handled with nuance and honesty. Valley Boy doesn’t romanticize trouble, but it does compassionately explore why people are drawn to it. This is an unforgettable installment in the California Quartet and a deeply human story about trying to outrun your past while figuring out who you’re meant to become.
December 25, 2025
Jack Remick has an incredible gift for storytelling, and Valley Boy proves it once again. This novel is raw, funny, heartbreaking, and surprisingly tender. Ricky Edwards is the kind of character who stays with you long after the final page, messy, impulsive, talented, and full of contradictions. His love of music clashes with his attraction to fighting, drinking, and fast living, creating a tension that drives the story forward with real emotional force.
The small-town atmosphere of Centerville feels authentic and vivid, filled with cultural pressures, expectations, and unspoken rules. Remick excels at portraying working-class life without judgment, showing both its warmth and its limitations. Linard Polk is a fascinating influence, embodying the dangerous allure of power and rebellion, while Teresa represents a different kind of intensity rooted in faith and fear. The writing is sharp, lyrical in places, and grounded in truth. Valley Boy is not just a story about growing up, it’s about survival, self-discovery, and the courage it takes to imagine a different future. A deeply rewarding read.
The small-town atmosphere of Centerville feels authentic and vivid, filled with cultural pressures, expectations, and unspoken rules. Remick excels at portraying working-class life without judgment, showing both its warmth and its limitations. Linard Polk is a fascinating influence, embodying the dangerous allure of power and rebellion, while Teresa represents a different kind of intensity rooted in faith and fear. The writing is sharp, lyrical in places, and grounded in truth. Valley Boy is not just a story about growing up, it’s about survival, self-discovery, and the courage it takes to imagine a different future. A deeply rewarding read.
December 25, 2025
Valley Boy is an absorbing and emotionally rich novel that captures the struggle between destiny and desire. Ricky Edwards feels like a real person you might have known, or been, someone caught between talent and temptation, hope and habit. Jack Remick writes with honesty and compassion, allowing his characters to be complicated without ever losing their humanity.
One of the book’s greatest strengths is its sense of place. Centerville, with its rhythms, values, and contradictions, shapes every choice Ricky makes. The backdrop of music, car culture, violence, and religion creates a vivid portrait of a young man pulled in opposing directions. The legacy of Ricky’s father and the expectations of his mother add emotional layers that make the story resonate deeply.
This is not a simple redemption tale; it’s a thoughtful exploration of how hard it can be to break cycles and dream beyond what you’ve been shown. Valley Boy stands out for its emotional honesty, strong voice, and memorable characters. Fans of character-driven literary fiction will find this book both moving and meaningful.
One of the book’s greatest strengths is its sense of place. Centerville, with its rhythms, values, and contradictions, shapes every choice Ricky makes. The backdrop of music, car culture, violence, and religion creates a vivid portrait of a young man pulled in opposing directions. The legacy of Ricky’s father and the expectations of his mother add emotional layers that make the story resonate deeply.
This is not a simple redemption tale; it’s a thoughtful exploration of how hard it can be to break cycles and dream beyond what you’ve been shown. Valley Boy stands out for its emotional honesty, strong voice, and memorable characters. Fans of character-driven literary fiction will find this book both moving and meaningful.
December 25, 2025
Jack Remick delivers another compelling entry in the California Quartet with Valley Boy, a novel that feels both intimate and expansive. Ricky Edwards is a wonderfully complex protagonist, gifted, reckless, angry, and hopeful all at once. His love of music offers glimpses of beauty and possibility, while his attraction to violence and rebellion highlights the inner conflict that defines him.
The supporting cast is richly drawn, especially Teresa, whose strict religious devotion comes from fear, love, and disappointment rather than cruelty. The emotional push and pull between mother and son adds depth and realism to the story. Remick’s prose is confident and immersive, capturing small-town California life with remarkable clarity and texture.
What makes Valley Boy inspiring is its honesty. It doesn’t offer easy answers or tidy resolutions, but it does offer understanding. It reminds readers that growth is messy, that escape is complicated, and that identity is often forged through struggle. This book is thoughtful, engaging, and deeply human, a standout novel that lingers long after you finish reading.
The supporting cast is richly drawn, especially Teresa, whose strict religious devotion comes from fear, love, and disappointment rather than cruelty. The emotional push and pull between mother and son adds depth and realism to the story. Remick’s prose is confident and immersive, capturing small-town California life with remarkable clarity and texture.
What makes Valley Boy inspiring is its honesty. It doesn’t offer easy answers or tidy resolutions, but it does offer understanding. It reminds readers that growth is messy, that escape is complicated, and that identity is often forged through struggle. This book is thoughtful, engaging, and deeply human, a standout novel that lingers long after you finish reading.
December 25, 2025
Valley Boy is a gripping, soulful novel that beautifully explores the tension between who we are and who we want to become. Jack Remick writes with a keen eye for detail and an empathetic heart, crafting a story that feels both specific and universal. Ricky Edwards is a character driven by contradictions: musical talent and self-destruction, loyalty and rebellion, longing and fear. These contradictions make him fascinating and deeply relatable.
The novel shines in its portrayal of influence, how friends, parents, and past generations shape our choices, sometimes without us realizing it. Linard Polk represents temptation and danger, while Ricky’s mother embodies faith and control, each pulling him in different directions. The emotional weight of his father’s absence adds another layer of complexity to Ricky’s journey.
Ultimately, Valley Boy is a story about possibility. Even in the confines of a small town and a troubled past, the spark of ambition and creativity refuses to die. This book is thoughtful, atmospheric, and emotionally resonant. Readers who appreciate character-driven fiction with heart, grit, and meaning will find this a deeply satisfying and inspiring read.
The novel shines in its portrayal of influence, how friends, parents, and past generations shape our choices, sometimes without us realizing it. Linard Polk represents temptation and danger, while Ricky’s mother embodies faith and control, each pulling him in different directions. The emotional weight of his father’s absence adds another layer of complexity to Ricky’s journey.
Ultimately, Valley Boy is a story about possibility. Even in the confines of a small town and a troubled past, the spark of ambition and creativity refuses to die. This book is thoughtful, atmospheric, and emotionally resonant. Readers who appreciate character-driven fiction with heart, grit, and meaning will find this a deeply satisfying and inspiring read.
April 19, 2026
Valley Boy by Jack Remick is a powerful and uplifting coming-of-age story about breaking free from limitations and chasing a bigger life. Ricky Edwards is a deeply relatable character, and his journey from a restrictive upbringing toward freedom, guided by his musical talent, is both emotional and inspiring. The writing is vivid and engaging, capturing his inner struggles with authenticity. It’s a thoughtful, motivating read that leaves a lasting impression.
December 19, 2025
Valley Boy, the second installment in Jack Remick’s California Quartet, is a powerful and emotionally resonant novel that captures the restless spirit of youth and the ache of wanting something bigger than the place that raised you. Set in the dusty heart of California’s Central Valley, the story pulses with authenticity, grit, and a deep understanding of human contradiction.
Ricky Edwards is a compelling and unforgettable protagonist. He is rough around the edges, drawn to fists, fast cars, beer, and trouble, yet beneath his bravado lies a young man gifted with music and haunted by the limits of his circumstances. Remick masterfully portrays Ricky’s internal conflict: the tension between who he is expected to be and who he might become if he can just escape Centerville. This struggle feels deeply real and universally relatable, especially for readers who have ever felt trapped by their environment or their past.
The supporting characters are richly drawn and add tremendous depth to the narrative. Linard Polk’s influence introduces a dangerous allure of violence and rebellion, while Teresa, Ricky’s fiercely religious mother, represents both suffocating control and desperate love. Even Ricky’s absent father looms large, shaping the emotional terrain of the novel through legacy, abandonment, and unresolved resentment. Each relationship feels lived-in, complex, and emotionally charged.
What truly sets Valley Boy apart is Remick’s prose, lean, honest, and unafraid to confront the harsh realities of small-town life. The setting is not merely a backdrop; the Valley itself feels like a character, shaping dreams, fueling frustrations, and quietly daring its inhabitants to either leave or be swallowed whole. The novel balances moments of raw toughness with surprising tenderness, especially when Ricky’s musical gift surfaces, offering glimpses of hope and possibility.
Despite its grit, Valley Boy is ultimately an inspiring story. It reminds readers that even in the most confining circumstances, there exists the possibility of change. Ricky’s desire to escape his inherited fate, to be more than the sum of bad influences, broken families, and small-town expectations, resonates long after the final page. His journey is not polished or easy, but it is honest, and that honesty makes it powerful.
Valley Boy is a standout work of literary fiction that will appeal to readers who appreciate character-driven stories, coming-of-age struggles, and vivid regional storytelling. Jack Remick has crafted a novel that is both tough and heartfelt, capturing the moment when a young man stands at the edge of who he has been and who he might still become. Highly recommended.
Ricky Edwards is a compelling and unforgettable protagonist. He is rough around the edges, drawn to fists, fast cars, beer, and trouble, yet beneath his bravado lies a young man gifted with music and haunted by the limits of his circumstances. Remick masterfully portrays Ricky’s internal conflict: the tension between who he is expected to be and who he might become if he can just escape Centerville. This struggle feels deeply real and universally relatable, especially for readers who have ever felt trapped by their environment or their past.
The supporting characters are richly drawn and add tremendous depth to the narrative. Linard Polk’s influence introduces a dangerous allure of violence and rebellion, while Teresa, Ricky’s fiercely religious mother, represents both suffocating control and desperate love. Even Ricky’s absent father looms large, shaping the emotional terrain of the novel through legacy, abandonment, and unresolved resentment. Each relationship feels lived-in, complex, and emotionally charged.
What truly sets Valley Boy apart is Remick’s prose, lean, honest, and unafraid to confront the harsh realities of small-town life. The setting is not merely a backdrop; the Valley itself feels like a character, shaping dreams, fueling frustrations, and quietly daring its inhabitants to either leave or be swallowed whole. The novel balances moments of raw toughness with surprising tenderness, especially when Ricky’s musical gift surfaces, offering glimpses of hope and possibility.
Despite its grit, Valley Boy is ultimately an inspiring story. It reminds readers that even in the most confining circumstances, there exists the possibility of change. Ricky’s desire to escape his inherited fate, to be more than the sum of bad influences, broken families, and small-town expectations, resonates long after the final page. His journey is not polished or easy, but it is honest, and that honesty makes it powerful.
Valley Boy is a standout work of literary fiction that will appeal to readers who appreciate character-driven stories, coming-of-age struggles, and vivid regional storytelling. Jack Remick has crafted a novel that is both tough and heartfelt, capturing the moment when a young man stands at the edge of who he has been and who he might still become. Highly recommended.
May 4, 2012
Valley Boy is a teeming amalgam of allegory, pathos, and stark language, all wrapped in a blend of dark, slang-infested humor and strangely relateable characters. What is Valley Boy about? Turkey debeaker Ricky Edwards heads to college, falls in love with a rock guitarist, and faces coming of age challenges - such as learning how to order coffee and the importance of following The Rules - in a storyline reminiscent of an Allen Ginsberg poem. Remick writes with a fresh voice in prose as raw as the open wounds his subjects are apt to suffer. An unrelenting literary experiment that is also a terrific read.
April 25, 2014
On the cusp of breaking free or succumbing to the eager fatalism of his hometown’s bleak milieu, Ricky Edwards, the VALLEY BOY in Jack Remick’s mesmerizing novel, beguiles the reader with a stony grasp of the humble life that has been served up to him while unaffectedly voicing a paean to its barren honesty.
Proust wrote: “The reader's recognition in himself of what the book says is the proof of the book's truth.” Remick’s limning the archetypal passageway to adulthood in VALLEY BOY arouses memories, pleasant and not so, of our own exodus out of that period defined more by dreams than reason, thereby affirming this writer’s consummate gift.
May 5, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews