When the Whistle Blows.

Slayton, Fran Cannon (author).

Slayton’s debut novel evocatively recalls life in 1940s small-town West Virginia. The book stretches from 1943 to 1949, with each chapter recounting a Halloween in the life of Jimmy Cannon, who begins the book at 12 years old. Through his eyes, we see his complex and formative relationship—a mix of idolatry and fear—with his stern father, a railroad man who warns his kids not to follow in his footsteps. Year by year, Jimmy grows from a venturesome boy to a trouble-magnet adolescent and finally into a young man. Slayton keeps her story from becoming too much of a nostalgia piece by keeping the focus squarely on her characters, exploring actions and sentiments that transcend eras, from light hooliganism to the triumph of winning the final football game in an undefeated season to the quieter milestone of being welcomed into adulthood. This short, memorable novel offers readers a chance to see how boys their grandfather’s age got in and out of trouble and a glimpse of how, at its core, growing up has changed little even over half a century.