Reviewed by Sonia

I�m not sure I understand the importance of the tunnel as the eighth wonder in this story, but the embarrassment over the social inadequacy of parents is something I�m sure most people have been able to relate to.

I had to read this story a few times, as while the message is obvious the imagery is oblique. It almost seems as if Chris is struggling with the telling of emotion and finding the right vehicle to express the emotion.

�A step below� tells the story of a teenage boy being driven home by the parents of his friend. He is in their car, a car which is better than the car his father is proud of and makes him wash every week.

He does not allow his friend�s parents to drop him off at his house, or let his friends meet him there, preferring to walk a short distance to avoid �social stigmatism�. When the car stops and he gets out he is literally and metaphorically a �step below�.

Despite feeling a step below his friends and others on the social ladder, and despite trying to change his father and being aware of his faults, Chris is also aware of his essence and passion, and is proud in the quirky, irreverent way only a teenager can be.