Stephanie Jane recenzis The Beached Ones de Colleen M. Story
Ambitious and deftly crafted
4 steloj
The Beached Ones is the first of Colleen Story's fictional works that I have read although I have previously found her nonfiction books - Writer Get Noticed! and Your Writing Matters - interesting and well-written. The ambiguous opening chapters of The Beached Ones really captured my attention and intrigued me. Was this a magical realism novel, or a ghost story, or something else altogether? It turned out to be an ambitious and deftly crafted combination of all those aspects and I loved how Story allowed the reader's awareness to grow just in advance of Daniel's so we could share in his discoveries.
His childhood scenes were sometimes upsetting to read, especially when they veered towards neglect and abuse. Seeing this from a future where we already know something has gone haywire for Daniel gives these moments a deep sense of foreboding. I just had to keep turning the pages to …
The Beached Ones is the first of Colleen Story's fictional works that I have read although I have previously found her nonfiction books - Writer Get Noticed! and Your Writing Matters - interesting and well-written. The ambiguous opening chapters of The Beached Ones really captured my attention and intrigued me. Was this a magical realism novel, or a ghost story, or something else altogether? It turned out to be an ambitious and deftly crafted combination of all those aspects and I loved how Story allowed the reader's awareness to grow just in advance of Daniel's so we could share in his discoveries.
His childhood scenes were sometimes upsetting to read, especially when they veered towards neglect and abuse. Seeing this from a future where we already know something has gone haywire for Daniel gives these moments a deep sense of foreboding. I just had to keep turning the pages to find out what was going on! The dysfunctional family relationships are another aspect of The Beached Ones that give this fantastical story a solid and authentic grounding. Valerie is obviously not coping as a mother, so young Tony's insistence on clinging to the idea of her as a capable Mommy is heartbreaking, particularly when contrasted with Daniel's entrenched cynicism borne of so many more years of lived experience and a darker estrangement.
I recommend The Beached Ones as a powerful read for fans of family dramas and alternate reality tales.