Review: Should have been better...
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 12 13, 2012
No Comfort was a heartbreaking story about the life of Llewellyn Trout presented in a journal/blog format. I had a hard time accepting the format Pietsch chose for this book. Very little structure, if any, resulted in grammar mayhem. In the beginning, I was less bothered by this decision; since No Comfort was told in first person, Lew was young and it was written in the tongue a young boy would use. As the story progressed, and Lew aged, I was hoping the language would too. I found my frustration continually growing.I am still perplexed of the validity of this story. The Foreward presents No Comfort as a true account of the life of Llewellyn Trout; it even references encouragement and affirmation by a Dr. Kent, Doctor of Psychiatry.  Yet, a list at the end of the book for other fictional stories of abuse implies No Comfort is a work of fiction. I realize abuse is relevant and needs awareness, but I am not sure this story is going to do that.At the halfway point, I have decided to shelve this book. Not because of the disturbing nature of its content, but rather because I have read other accounts of abuse providing a better explanation of the seriousness of issue.