Andres Aloi's "Black Wolf" is the unabashedly frank tale of an alienated young man's painful-sometimes painfully funny-loss of innocence.

The dark, artistic, intelligent, and always-questioning Vincent Wing is at the end of his high-school career. At the same time, he is dealing with mixed emotions about the two girls in his life-his ex-girlfriend, Clara, and the new object of his desire, Maggie.

As the narrative of a debauched senior trip to Brazil unfolds, the reader realizes that Vincent is reflecting back on it all as an older man coming to terms with his life.

Aloi's main...