Third Wheel by Richard R. Becker is a novel following a young teenager fourteen years old named Brady as he tries to navigate not only the complicated life of being a teenager but also abuse from his mother, trauma, and a life of crime. Brady also has some pretty intense anger issues that leave him walking a constant edge between losing his mind at those who threaten him and tucking all the emotions away and refusing to acknowledge them. Richard R. Becker did a great job of giving us a realistic main character. Even if the things he goes through are far from what the average fourteen-year-old has to deal with, Brady’s troubles are still relatable to that emotional teenager many of us can still remember.
Beyond the man character, we are given a collection of side characters to fill out this dark tale. Brady’s friends, the well-meaning ones and the less-than-savory ones, all have aspects that make them feel real. Brady’s family life hits him as hard as the cruel things his friends do in an entirely different while. His mother is insensitive to him. Seeming to enjoy his discomfort when she brings up subjects she knows will hurt him. It is a tiny wonder the main character wants to be away from her as quickly as possible.
The pacing of Third Wheel is fast. We follow Brady through ups and downs at the turn of every page. When he thinks he may have gotten ahead or a break, someone shows up to cause him more trouble, or he loses himself and lashes out. Either way, someone is undoubtedly going to get hurt. One last detail: this book can get pretty rough with violence, so if you think you might get squeamish around kids getting hurt in any way, you probably should skip this. For everyone else, you will have a good time with this read.