George Harrar: Books:
First Tiger

Published by The Permanent Press, 1999

Click to Enlarge

When a car crash takes a life, to whom does the tragedy really happen - the wife who dies? The husband who was driving? Or the six-year-old son sitting in the backseat? Author George Harrar explores this provocative question in his debut novel, set in the arts colony of New Hope, Pennsylvania, on the Delaware River. The book begins 10 years after the accident when Jake Paine, now 16, comes home after almost a year as a runaway. His return sparks painful memories in his father, a man verging on a nervous breakdown. Jake's appearance also ignites old fears among townspeople about a boy who dances on the edge of craziness. First Tiger takes the reader inside the head of a teenager who lives by instinct, without considering the risks or consequences. In returning to "No Hope," as refers to his hometown, Jake struggles to find if he can go home again.

Read the first chapter of First Tiger

Buy First Tiger at Amazon.com

From Kirkus Review
The trials of a good-hearted but troubled teenager provide the focus for Harrar's debut as he details the way one family-shattering tragedy leads to another. The baffling intricacies of adolescent behavior are clearly of primary concern here, and they're handled well.

From Publishers Weekly
The troubled protagonist of the intelligent, straightforward coming-of-age story is 16 year-old Jake Paine...a petty thief and troublemaker...Harrar's realistic and gritty debut novel doesn't sugercoat the life of a misunderstood boy, but neither does it deny Jake the possibility of redemption. Harrar keenly describes not only Jake's limited options, but also his unquenched hopes for a better life.

From Library Journal
Although Harrar presents a teen who continues to break the law, readers will be drawn to the compassionate and extremely sharp young man. Other troubled characters, such as Jake's stepmother, Jenny and his good friend, Frank, are equally compelling. Recommended for most fiction collections.

Home