The Oxboy
Disappointing allegory of racial prejudice with seams showing in background. If you can find it, read [author:Thomas Burnett Swann]'s [book:The Day of the Minotaur] instead. It even covers similar thematic territory; it just gives you a real story and real characters while doing it. Also, like most of Swann's writing, it's got an old-fashioned charm and long-lost sweetness.