Sleepers - Lorenzo Carcaterra ----------------------------- 2 Stars

Sleepers has been sitting on my shelf for probably 20 years before I picked it up to read a few weeks ago. I was in between books I really wanted to read and thought I'd give it a try. I knew they made a feature film about it when it came out in the 90s and that the premise was interesting - 4 best friends as adolescents share trauma together and as adults two become criminals, one a lawyer and one a writer (of the book). Unfortunately, I kind of wish I hand't picked up the book.

The book started off strong, providing a detailed explanation of the bond the boys shared in the neighborhood of New York City's Hell Kitchen in the 1950s/1960s. Clearly they were not well off and the criminal element surrounding them seemed an ever present part of their lives. As the result of a stupid prank, they were sent a way for a year to a juvenile detention center being only 12 and 13 years old.

At this point the book took a dark turn. While the first third was quite interesting and a strong read, the author decided to share, in detail, the trauma that the youths faced while in this detention center. This includes the violent beatings, constants rapes and sexual assaults, and even deaths that were witnessed. It was quite unpleasant reading. 

Just as I was going to write the book off as one of my least favorites, the final third of the book jumps ahead about 10 years to catch up with the boys, now adults. Just in case you might read it, I won't ruin it but the sequence of events described were exhilarating and the final few chapters left me enthralled.

Just as I was going to change my rating to something much more positive, I was curious to learn more about what happened to these individuals later in life. While the book finished with a short synopsis about them as of the 1990s, I wanted to know what transpired in the past 30 years. Quickly after I began my online search, I learned that it was established that much of the stories in the book likely didn't take place. While it's considered and delivered as a non-fiction story, the NY Times and other publications discredited the story and were unable to verify large parts of it. This was disturbing.

While I think the story is still interesting and perhaps worth reading (though, massive warning about the middle portion), the book loses luster knowing about the accusations of it being mostly fictional. It's still a good story with a solid ending (though, it seemed almost fantastical as I read it so it wasn't that surprising to learn it was fiction). On a whole, I'd probably save your reading time for something else.