Review: An emotional, intelligent and highly readable short story.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 6, 2013
A fantastic thoughtful, articulate and highly readable short story by an author I have only recently discovered. From the opening paragraph..."Charlie Parkinson woke sometime in the middle of the night. He knew the fancy alarm clock Selina had given him last Christmas would be shouting the time in bright red numerals, but he didn't open his eyes....He didn't have to. He knew it would be 4.42 am"...go on admit it you are hooked! Why is Charlie so fascinated with 4.42...and why is he unable to sleep? Charlie is a photographer and his dreams direct him to photo opportunities that are tragic events in the making. Charlie's wife Selina is dying of cancer and he is completely unaware, equally his relationship with his daughter Rebecca is marred by..."He knew that he didn't notice because that's just the kind of person he was. Selfish. Only noticed things that directly affected him" The essence of a really good book is the ability of the author to plant his story within the mind of his reader...to make him think, to make him take that story and carry it with him and not only to enjoy but to learn from it... Charlie is selfish he ignores and therefore is unable to understand his family, and later with the offering of fame and riches for his work... " The Japanese would love them, Janis said. And the Brazilians. And her American regulars. Let's not forget them...What happened was the more than three million bucks he would be taking home from his death shots"....he is ignorant and unaware of the tragic events unfolding around him. Ultimately this is a story of loss and of the ability to grasp what is important to oneself as we travel through a life filled with opportunity and tragedy. A magical and important read for those who enjoy great story telling with deep emotional intelligence.