Review: Beautiful Short Story
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 14, 2013
This was such an uplifting and powerful short story. It's a tale of stepping out of the darkness. blinking in the light, a story of learning to love and be loved.It reads almost like a fable as we follow Ethan & Emily who are both on the threshold of adulthood and have arrived there without the normal emotional support network. They're both orphaned and are trying to find their way in an unfeeling world, unloved and closed off emotionally.Bumping into one another will turn out to be THE best thing that has ever happened to them. They both pretty much broke my heart at the beginning. Ethan has learned to live like an island - he does what he has to, no more, no less and he doesn't connect with anyone anymore than he has to. He's minimalistic both physically and emotionally - he's just functioning, not really living.Emily is a little bit more optimistic and starry-eyed, trusting too easily and she is a scared young girl, trying to make her way in a world that really doesn't care and has turned its back on her. She's living but not really coping and is a disaster waiting to happen.Ethan and Emily are like two halves of a heart necklace - they really do complete each other. Ethan provides for Emily the security and protection so cruelly denied to her and Emily gives Ethan a reason to live, a reason to care and slowly, over years, their relationship blossoms into full bloom and it's beautiful to watch.It's a very idealistic tale, hence the fable reference, as they come full circle and eventually reach out to help children who find themselves in similar situations to the ones they had been brought up in. It's a short read but it packs a powerful emotional punch.