What do you think?
Rate this book
U.P.
From a bold new novelist comes a complex tale of friendship and brutality. Set in Michigan s Upper Peninsula, U.P. is the story of four teens immersed in an ugly world, one whose threat of violence is always simmering beneath the surface. R.A. Riekki s distinctive characters and their poignant quest for freedom is a swan song to lost youth, redefining the traditional coming-of- age-story. Four boys, four distinct narratives that converge into a harrowing and heartbreaking whole.
230 pages, Paperback
First published November 15, 2008
3 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 30, 2011
Pretty good book. Interesting characters, I swear I went to high school with a couple of these guys.
April 12, 2013
So I actually used to live with this fellow. I didn't read the book but my husband did and thought it was incredible... sooooo 5 stars on behalf of Mr. Stay Blu Reads
February 24, 2021
Imagine Stand By Me, only it’s set in 1989 instead of 1959. And, instead of four 12 year old kids coming of age in a blue collar Oregon town full of heartbreak and misery, it’s four 17 year olds not quite able to figure out how to grow up in a blue collar Michigan town loaded with the same heartbreak and a little extra misery. That’s U.P.
Polyphonic novels can often come across as gimmicky, not allowing each character to develop properly to instead approach conflicts and plot points from multiple angles, but in this case, the character development is the plot.
The conflict is the lives they live in this nowhere town, with no hope, no direction, and no real sense of self identity other than glomming on to tropes and stereotypes that easily attach to the music you listen to. At first, Antony is just a semi-literate wannabe gangster wishing he could be like the rappers he idolizes. At first, Craig is just a dumb jock metal head. At first J is just a punk, trying his damnedest to be Sid Vicious. At first Hollow is just hollow.
But... through their narratives, through their inner thoughts, through their interactions with one another and the sad world they inhabit, they become so much more. They become real, live, breathing people that remind you of that one guy from that one class you has in high school or that one kid’s older brother from down the street. The outcasts and the forgotten of our society, the ones that don’t except dare to dream the American Dream. Reikki does a fantastic job making these stereotypes into humans we care for, root for, and wish we could help.
U.P. is not a warm and fuzzy uplifting story. It’s dark. It’s tough. But it offers an insight into pockets of American life very few authors give us a look at. All in all, a very worthwhile read - if for nothing else to study how a character’s voice can be created and developed.
Polyphonic novels can often come across as gimmicky, not allowing each character to develop properly to instead approach conflicts and plot points from multiple angles, but in this case, the character development is the plot.
The conflict is the lives they live in this nowhere town, with no hope, no direction, and no real sense of self identity other than glomming on to tropes and stereotypes that easily attach to the music you listen to. At first, Antony is just a semi-literate wannabe gangster wishing he could be like the rappers he idolizes. At first, Craig is just a dumb jock metal head. At first J is just a punk, trying his damnedest to be Sid Vicious. At first Hollow is just hollow.
But... through their narratives, through their inner thoughts, through their interactions with one another and the sad world they inhabit, they become so much more. They become real, live, breathing people that remind you of that one guy from that one class you has in high school or that one kid’s older brother from down the street. The outcasts and the forgotten of our society, the ones that don’t except dare to dream the American Dream. Reikki does a fantastic job making these stereotypes into humans we care for, root for, and wish we could help.
U.P. is not a warm and fuzzy uplifting story. It’s dark. It’s tough. But it offers an insight into pockets of American life very few authors give us a look at. All in all, a very worthwhile read - if for nothing else to study how a character’s voice can be created and developed.
February 7, 2026
being FROM the U.P, specifically the setting of this novel, reading this is a bit of a surreal experience. i feel like i unfortunately went to my high school with the characters of this book. but the overall story arch of growing up in such an isolated and dreary place was felt deeply. and the end was AWESOME
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews