A young boy from the Trail comes to the city. He is an outsider. Ignorant. Alone. Until he finds the Junk Man. Then, what was broken might be made new.
This novella is written in a first person narrative style, with the narrator being a teenage boy. It has been written in such as manner that I felt as if I were sat there with him while he related his tale to me, along with all its asides. The boy ‘speaks’ to the reader with a deep southern or hill country accent and, as I read I could hear his voice in my head with all the twists and nuances his accent provided. I did find the way the narrative was written to be a little daunting at first, and found myself having to reread portions of it to make sure I had truly understood what my teenage story-teller was trying to get across. However, this did not detract from the novella as a whole, just made it a little bit more than an easy quick read.
Because of the way in which it is written, there does not need to be any deep character developments or plots; we are just being offered a slice of this boy’s life, and all it contains, with no frills. Having said that though, as the reader progresses through the novella, they are made to actually think and re-evaluate the things they come across in their everyday lives, and also the way in which they interact with the people in their lives.
This is a hard little book to write a review on as so much that could be said about it, would just be spoiling the whole experience for readers that pick it up. It is a special little book and, if I were more familiar with the vernacular used by the narrator, I would most likely have said it was an outstanding read but, unfortunately for me, the having to backtrack over some of the narration really interrupted the flow.
This is a book I would recommend to readers from teens up to adults. The only thing they may need to be aware of is the narration style, but other than that this novella is not offensive in any way and is worth your time to read.
Cate's Book Nut Hut 