THE SKIN GAME

Handsome JJ Katharin is a teenager living on Long Island, a place he doesn’t like one bit. He has been raised, without parents, by his Nonno, his ancient grandfather. Stern love and a strong morality have been Nonno’s way of bringing JJ up. JJ hasn’t fared well under Nonno’s rules. He is a dreamy kid, a poor student who gets in trouble. He has only one friend, Lennie, who is a very good student. Lennie has big Hollywood plans for JJ’s handsome looks while JJ is indifferent to his appearance. He plays a ‘game’ with Nonno called The Skin Game, in which Nonno makes clear the difference between old age and youth. With each one placing a hand on a table, Nonno pulls at the skin on the back of JJ’s hand and then on his own. JJ’s tight skin rushes back into place in a second while Nonno’s skin doesn’t move. It stands up in an ugly pile. Nonno’s unspoken theme is “I may be old, but I know best.” JJ has fallen for Mrs. Cameron, a lovely woman who lives across the street in a stately house. She is married and has two children. JJ longs to be a part of her family. He does errands for Mrs. Cameron and helps her in her garden. His only motive is to be near her and be embraced by her. Someone calling himself “JJ” begins making obscene phone calls to Mrs. Cameron. When informed, Nonno has no trouble believing JJ is guilty. The Camerons cut JJ out of their lives. These events devastate JJ. No one will believe his protestations. He broods and spends a lot of time alone down at the beach trying to deal with his agony. One day, he meets a older girl at the beach. Marion Jordan, a Californian, is new in the neighborhood but has already spotted JJ. She is an angry, aggressive girl and is attracted to his stunning looks. She also sees his despair and tries to improve his mood. Marion is a surfer and succeeds in interesting JJ in the sport. She is a patient teacher who also introduces him to his first sexual experience. JJ’s world starts changing dramatically. Through Marion, he meets other surfers, one great one in particular, called The Oz. JJ regards him with awe and with The Oz’s and Marion’s instruction, he becomes a very good surfer but nowhere equal to the Oz. Still suffering over the Camerons’ rejection and Nonno’s anger, he decides to run off to Florida with The Oz while Marion and her troubled family return to California. The Oz has an unconventional view of life which begins to influence JJ. His goal is to find the Big Wave, wherever in the world it is. JJ hopes The Oz will take him along. In Cocoa Beach, Florida, he meets new people, like Luis Lopez, the owner of The Dessert Inn (misspelled, but not on purpose), Mr. R, an unconventional bookstore owner, and Jeanie, who works for Mr. R. She has a bad reputation but JJ ignores the rumors about her and gets to like her. She is thrilled to have such a handsome boy for a friend. Jeanie, ignoring his name, insists on calling JJ “Handsome”. Meanwhile, Nonno, alone on Long Island, gets sick and dies. JJ, guilty at having deserted his grandfather, cannot get up to Long Island in time to be with the man who raised him. He meets the Camerons at Nonno’s funeral and they take an interest in his welfare, since he will be alone in the world. JJ hopes this renewed contact with Mrs. Cameron will help him convince her of his innocence. The Oz arrives on Long Island to visit his family, from whom he seeks financial help from time to time. JJ tells him the story of the Camerons and his grief at having lost touch with Mrs. Cameron because of the obscene phone calls. The Oz is enraged at the unfairness of it all and plots to find and expose the real caller. And when he finds out that Mrs. Cameron is exploiting JJ in a planned seduction, he arranges to shatter her marriage. He also discovers that the obscene caller was JJ’s former friend, Lennie Crystal. The Oz and JJ confront Lennie and give him a resounding beating. With all of this, JJ has ended his ties to Long Island and settles at Cocoa Beach, Florida. The Oz leaves for Thailand to find the Big Wave. Within a month, JJ and Cocoa Beach receive word that The Oz has died, having lost his struggle to master the Big Wave. JJ has gone through a series of experiences which includes the strange and unconventional Mr. R, the bookstore owner. Each of these incidents helps JJ to grow up and mature. At one point, Marion calls him from California to tell him that she is pregnant by a new boyfriend and is thrilled about it. She also tells “Handsome” that he will always her only real love. JJ now has only Jeanie. He makes one request of her as their relationship develops: “Please, Jeanie, don’t call me ‘Handsome’ any more. My name is Joseph James Katharin.”