Essay Questions

Why did a group calling itself the Florida Citizens Alliance (FLCA) seek to have this novel either removed entirely or limited to just high school libraries in Polk County, Florida?

The Vincent Boys made it onto a list of sixteen novels that the shadowy members of the FLCA tries to get banned to one degree or another from county school libraries. Most of those books that made the list were distinctly similar to the others for just one reason: they promoted LGBTQ lifestyles. (Though most, notably, were about the “T”.) This book obviously is notable because of it stands out so much from the pack. It turns out that just one member of the FLCA had a problem with the novel, but those problems were extensive to the point of absurd:

• the story appeals to morbid or prurient interest,

• it is without literary value for young readers,

• it is pornographic

• it depicts nudity, sexual excitement, sexual conduct

• it offends prevailing community standards

Note: only one high school in the district actually even had a copy of the book in circulation and it had never been checked out in the preceding two years.

What is the plot twist that comes about three-fourths of the way through the story?

Normally, this would be the kind of thing that would be avoided as an essay question about the work under discussion. In this case, however, a sequel has been around since 2012. Obviously, just because a sequel is out is not reason to go around spoiling things people. As late as 1981, people were still being protective of the plot twist at the end of The Empire Strikes Back. But right there is the big difference. If the sequel to this novel were titled Ashton Strikes Back or The Revenge of Nicole, things would be different. When you write a story about a love triangle in which one girl juggles two cousins and then publish a sequel that includes a completely different familiar relationship in the title, however, all bets on maintaining your plot twist are off. So, in other words, the answer to the question posed above is not technically a spoiler. It is merely a suggestion that if you really don’t want the plot twist to be spoiled, do yourself a solid and avoid all consciousness of this book’s follow-up.

Who is the bad boy in this triangle?

Sawyer is the cousin whom Ashton first moves out of the friend zone and into her heart. But when Sawyer is conveniently away for the summer, it is the more rough-edged and darker cousin, Beau, who attracts her attention in a way like never before. So, basically, this is a trick question. The bad boy in this triangle is certainly not Sawyer, but neither is it Beau. The bad boy here is the preacher’s daughter, Ashton. After all, this is the girl who used to pilfer gum from the convenience store and, um, waylay the paperboy and tie him up for reasons that don’t make sense even after you’ve read it. Ashton is not a nice girl (in more ways than one). She’s a bad boy.