Shoot a gun? You? Never.

Unless you count that water pistol fight last week. Or the thought that crossed your mind when Lame-o McJames broke your heart in high school.

Yet you’re well aware that other people have. And with complex results, such as those explored by Phil LaMarche in his sparkling debut, American Youth.

In a rural town, a quiet, troubled teen finds himself implicated in an accidental shooting death.

Investigated by the police, courted by a neofascist youth group whose admiration he has unwittingly earned, pursued by the group leader’s libidinous girlfriend, and haunted by his own dark fears, the boy struggles to understand his part in the tragedy — and a way of life that’s passing even as it leaves an indelible mark on him.

Creepy, suspenseful, and written in ferociously taut prose, it’s a must-read novel.

Even you should give it a shot.

Available online at amazon.com.