80's Rewind

So I started reading this trendy book, Black Swan Green by David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas (don't worry, I skipped the movie).  The school ordered hundreds of copies so I dipped my hands in the proverbial cookie jar and filched a copy for my eager eyes.

Yeesh, lackluster cover.  The title bears too close a resemblance to the movie Black Swan (a movie about dancing...another topic I avoid as much as broccoli).

Who doesn't want to see this, right?

My enthusiasm wanes a bit when I feast upon the cover with a generic silhouette of a swan.  Ok, what was I really expecting, but still, anything related to the book itself would have sparked my curiosity a bit more.

Ready to read?

My prayers were answered as I perused the back of the book and I found a brief synopsis of the story (almost lost in the ubiquitous praise for the Mitchell and his literary creation).  A thirteen-year-old boy?  A single year in his life?  Sounds like a coming-of-age story.  NOW this is what I'm talking about.  Movies like Stand by Me and Perks of Being a Wallflower (also a great book), as well as my favorite book Catcher in the Rye instantly came to mind.  

But here's the real kicker.  The story is set in 1982.  The 80s.  Bam.  Can't wait to start getting into all those 80s references: the pop culture of music, television, and movies...and I suppose some major cultural events too.  I think I'll have my Survivor album, Vital Signs, playing softly as I read for a bit of symbiotic atmosphere.  Although the story does take place in England with, I'm sure, a lot of slang and British terminology that'll make me smash my grandmother's tea collection to smithereens, Jason's adventures are what will truly have me hooked and reading on.

Oh, and just to make sure I'm not going to put this book down, one review on the back suggests a comparison of Black Swan Green to Catcher in the Rye.  Sold.