Review: Baby Girl Blues?
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 5, 2014
Baby Girl by Elle Klass is a urban fiction novella centering on the exploits of Cleo, a pre-teen urchin who lives on the streets and scavenges for food wherever she can find it. She comes across a trio of child vagabonds with whom she forms an alliance, leading Cleo along a thrilling yet dangerous new path in this engrossing piece of ‘street lit’. The author weaves a tale of adventure as well as addressing the topic of the growing community of homeless kids and their daily struggle for survival.Klass never loses sight of the fact that this is a foursome of childhood friends, united in a bond far stronger than those forged in schoolyards or institutions. The theme of loyalty resonates throughout the novella as Cleo and her friends entertain fantasies of moving to France, despite the impossible odds facing those as destitute as themselves. Their dreams of travel entice them to live as hoboes, riding the rails across the country and foraging as best they can in the cities through which they pass. They travel as far west as Seattle before planning to cross country to New York in order to sneak onto a freight ship to France. Yet their best laid plans avail them nought as misfortune and tragedy catches up with them at last. It forces Cleo to move on alone as Book One of this series comes to a close.The major male protagonist, Einstein, is aptly named as the leader and mastermind of the quartet. The group is split asunder by inevitable circumstances which lead to an epiphany for Cleo as she realizes her destiny as Einstein’s kindred spirit. Their relationship develops as they begin maturing together and come to a deeper understanding of the real world, along with the promise and responsibility it entails. When Einstein is taken from her, it is a different Cleo who emerges to face an uncertain future. Baby Girl by Elle Klass helps us realize what it takes for our unwanted children to find their way on their own.