Review: Sad Reality
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 18, 2013
This novella reminds me of parts from MYSTIC RIVER by Dennis Lehane, just on a much smaller scale. While most of us that had childhoods in the 70s may have been in danger at times from the freedoms our parents lent us, most could probably say that we never feared going off to play in the woods, or wherever. Bad things happened, yes, we heard about them, we just never thought they would happen to us. Not too far into this book, I started reminiscing back to my childhood from the mid-seventies and thinking how lucky my friends and I were. We lived in a time when it was okay to venture far away from home, often staying gone the better part of the day, arriving home late in the evening with dirty clothes and shades of orange and yellow at our backs as the sun dipped into the horizon, never giving thought to what lunatic or pervert might be lurking around the corner. And the strangest thing of all is that our parents never worried that we got home at almost dark. We truly live in a much scarier world today, and it's very sad to think of those unfortunate few that had their childhoods tainted or stolen entirely away by some mentally deranged psycho. While danger was certainly around back in the day, we never thought about it then like we do now. It's really unfortunate that kids can't just go out and play without their parents having to worry so much, but it's the reality we live in. As unsettling as this story is, the best stories are those that can entertain, enlighten, and enrich our lives.