Linger — M.E. Kerr

In this novel by the award-winning author of Gentlehands and Slap Your Sides, a teenager starts to look at life differently when his older brother is sent to the Persian Gulf

To sixteen-year-old Gary Peel, Linger is home. His father is manager of the Pennsylvania restaurant; his mom takes care of the books; and Gary's older brother, Bobby, works there as a waiter. That is, until he decides to join the army.

The only one from their hometown to enlist, Bobby becomes an instant hero. At Linger, Gary takes Bobby's place waiting tables -- and finds himself drawn into the correspondence between his brother and Lynn Dunlinger, the beautiful, preppy daughter of the restaurant's owner. The tone of Bobby's letters starts to change when he's suddenly shipped overseas. Gary -- the brother left behind -- tries to adjust to his new life and prepares for the first Christmas without Bobby.

Set during the Gulf War crisis and featuring a diverse cast of characters, Linger interweaves Gary's first-person narrative with Bobby's letters and journal entries from Saudi Arabia in a multifaceted look at bigotry, power, and the valor under fire that can drive ordinary people to commit extraordinary acts.