Rich Boy

Rich Boy (2010) by Sharon Pomerantz. The rich boy of the title is Robert, who is in reality a poor boy made (temporarily) good. Possibly the most striking image in the book is early on, when Robert goes off to college, and his rich roommate is too lazy to wash his shirts. The roommate, Trace, wears the shirts a few times and then discards them. Robert, raised by frugal parents, rescues the shirts from the garbage chute, launders them, and wears them as his own. Robert and Trace become "friends," although Trace is more interested in Robert as an object of romance (i.e., Trace is gay). The book follows the lives of Robert and Trace and their circle of friends through the latter half of the 20th century, up until the market crash of 1987. It's a good read and an involving story, though not especially profound. Grade: B+