And it’s alternately fascinating and saddening as Leo struggles with whether his future has been irrevocably tainted by his father – if he can become the man he wishes to be or whether history is doomed to repeat itself.
It’s completely heartbreaking to see the dichotomy between the strong, gifted, funny young man he’s able to be around others, and the scared boy who lives in fear of his father’s wrath. Leo is talented, intelligent, sweet, loving, loyal to a fault, and yet he’s also a very broken young man.
He fears his dad, and though he may find relief at the momentary absence of his father at school and swim practice, Leo also desperately craves his approval. It goes without saying that Leo’s view of human interaction and interpersonal relationships have understandably skewed by years of mental conditioning caused by abuse. Leo, having endured years of this treatment, views himself as somewhat “less than,” he’s been taught to think that failure deserves such treatment. This desire has reached the point where he drives his son relentlessly to achieve his own idea of “perfection,” punishing Leo severely when he fails. Commander Scott, Leo’s father, sees his youngest son as his only chance to leave a successful legacy behind. A victim of both his father’s physical and emotional abuse, Leo is exhausted from his father’s constant mandate of being nothing less than the best, from hiding his family’s home life, from the stress of living under his father’s violent, controlling fist. Leo is one of those characters that tugged on my heartstrings – grabbing a hold of my sympathies to the point where I just wanted to give the poor kid a hug. Though Streamline is a book with multiple narrators, at its core, this story is Leo’s.
Leo and Audrey must band together to rise above the adversity they encounter and find their true selves in the process. Part murder mystery, part tale of young love in a military family, this gripping story takes readers on a journey from Pensacola to Annapolis. Her number-one supporter–her father–is in prison for murder. But there’s an obstacle to her glorious rise to the top. As one of Florida’s top high school swimmers, Audrey dreams of college swimming stardom. Leo’s girlfriend Audrey Rose is poised for her own share of success. His mother’s crippling car accident has devastated his family and left Leo to deal with his father’s abuse, battered and alone. He’s captain of his high school swim team with a bright future in college and beyond. Seems like Leo Scott has it all: looks, brains, and athletic talent.
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