TEX (NOVEL)

'''Tex''' is a novel by S.E. Hinton, published in 1979. It was adapted to film in 1982, and starred Matt Dillon. The book (like ''Rumble Fish'' and ''That Was Then, This Is Now'') takes place in the same universe as Hinton's first book ''The Outsiders'', but in a rural town called Garyville, a Suburb of urban Tulsa, though some events take the characters into Tulsa.

Contents

Plot summary

Connections to ''That Was Then, This Is Now''

Plot summary

The novel starts with Tex riding on his horse Negrito, later he rides on his friend Johnny's motorbike. When he gets home, he finds out that his brother (Mason) had sold his horse, since the family (he and his brother) couldn't afford to pay their bills. He then goes out to hunt for his horse and claims that he won't be back until he finds Negrito, (despite Mason saying that he will never find the horses) Tex and Mason go out to the city to see Mason's friend who is in the hospital. Tex goes off to a store and is accused of shop lifting.
They decide to see a family friend who's name is Lem Peters. They go out on a ride with Lem in his new car and discover that he is on drugs. On their way home from Lem's house, they pick up a hitch hiker, who wants to go to the state line because people are "looking for him" he pulls a gun on Tex and Mason and threaten to kill them if they tell and if they don't take him to the state line. Tex takes a risky chance and swerves the car which leads to the criminal dropping his loaded gun. The police come after a person calls them when he sees the hitch hiker get on top of the car in the city. It turns out, the criminal had escaped from a prison/rehab and killed the security guard and who shot a man who was in his way. A news company interviews Tex on his risky stunt and when Tex and Mason get home, they get numerous calls regarding Tex's heroic move. They soon get a call from their father who has been gone for over 5 months. He is on his way home.
The next day, Tex's father promises to get Negrito back for him. He finds the horse, but the owner won't give him back, Tex is heart broken. He goes on a date with Johnny Collins sister, Jamie (whom he had a crush on for a really long time) on their way back, they kiss and Jamie stops because she's not ready for dating. Later on, Tex goes with Lem to a friends house (who is actually a druggie whom Lem is selling drugs to) when Lem's drugs aren't as good as the samples he gave out, the customer (who's name is Kelly) goes crazy and when Tex tries to leave, Kelly pulls out a gun and shoots Tex. Tex takes the gun and comes REALLY close to shooting Kelly. Later Tex gets to the city and he calls Jamie's house and tells her that he got shot. Her father, Cole, calls an ambulance. Lem tells Tex that if anyone asks why Kelly shot him, to tell them that it was over a money loan. Lem goes to call Mason for Tex, but calls his wife instead and tells her to "get rid of everything". At the hospital, Johnny and Jamie come in and Johnny wants to know why he kept asking for Jamie when him and Tex had been friends for over 5 years. when Jamie comes in, she tells Tex that they won't work their "relationship" out. Tex realizes that she be only girl for him.
Later at school, Johnny and Tex pull a prank and get caught. Mason flips out on their Father and reveals that their father isn't Tex's real father. Their mother was cheating on him when he was in jail! At the end, they get a letter from Lem saying that he and his wife and kid are in Arizona and that he's sorry for running out on Tex, and not to tell anyone where he is. The book ends on Mason promising Tex that they can go fishing.

Connections to ''That Was Then, This Is Now''

See Continuity within S.E. Hinton Novels