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laurensalisbury's review
4.0
This is such an interesting weaving of fact and fiction, truth and supposition, knowing and wondering. In many ways, The Boy is a simple book, and most of these are the very reason it is so complicated. Hegerat held my attention in a way I did not expect, as I suppose this story, in fact these STORIES, will for quite some time.
badcushion's review
4.0
Okay so:
Betty Jean Hegerat, the author of this book, started to write a fiction book about a single schoolteacher in Calgary who marries a man with a twelve year old son who is a bit of a handful. As she writes, she remembers a shocking true-life family murder from her childhood in rural Canada - the murder, in fact, of a stepfamily by a disgruntled son. This book, The Boy, captures Hegerat's own exploration of her interest in that real-life tragedy, as well as her incorporation of the story into the fictional story she's creating, including the insistence of her fictional protagonist, Louise, in having a say in how her story plays out. It's written in a split format - part the fiction story, paralleled with the true backstory - though those lines become very fuzzy as the book goes on.
That may not make a lot of sense, but that's my fault - the book has a complicated structure which Hegerat pulls off perfectly; it's not at all difficult to read. Using this technique, Hegerat manages to bring a number of themes together - the interplay between author and character, between real life and fiction, as well as the way authors and readers use books to explore the mysteries of the human heart. Hegerat's fictional characters, her representations of real people, her fictionalizations of other real people, and even her reflection of herself, are all compelling - even when they are obscure and difficult, just like real people are.
It wasn't entirely a surprise to me that the ending was unsatisfactory. In part, that was Hegerat's message - life is not always satisfactory, we don't always get the conclusions we want or have all our questions answered point by point. However, part of the dissatisfaction came I think because I LOVED the majority so much. I found the book to be compelling just about to the end - funny, smart, thoughtful - just a wonderful read. I didn't hate the ending, it just didn't meet the high bar the rest of the book had set - and endings are hard, especially when there are a lot of good stories to wind up. But I would NOT say this means don't read the book - if you like mysteries, human psychology, the dark side of human nature, as well as well-told stories, read this book! You won't be disappointed.
Betty Jean Hegerat, the author of this book, started to write a fiction book about a single schoolteacher in Calgary who marries a man with a twelve year old son who is a bit of a handful. As she writes, she remembers a shocking true-life family murder from her childhood in rural Canada - the murder, in fact, of a stepfamily by a disgruntled son. This book, The Boy, captures Hegerat's own exploration of her interest in that real-life tragedy, as well as her incorporation of the story into the fictional story she's creating, including the insistence of her fictional protagonist, Louise, in having a say in how her story plays out. It's written in a split format - part the fiction story, paralleled with the true backstory - though those lines become very fuzzy as the book goes on.
That may not make a lot of sense, but that's my fault - the book has a complicated structure which Hegerat pulls off perfectly; it's not at all difficult to read. Using this technique, Hegerat manages to bring a number of themes together - the interplay between author and character, between real life and fiction, as well as the way authors and readers use books to explore the mysteries of the human heart. Hegerat's fictional characters, her representations of real people, her fictionalizations of other real people, and even her reflection of herself, are all compelling - even when they are obscure and difficult, just like real people are.
It wasn't entirely a surprise to me that the ending was unsatisfactory. In part, that was Hegerat's message - life is not always satisfactory, we don't always get the conclusions we want or have all our questions answered point by point. However, part of the dissatisfaction came I think because I LOVED the majority so much. I found the book to be compelling just about to the end - funny, smart, thoughtful - just a wonderful read. I didn't hate the ending, it just didn't meet the high bar the rest of the book had set - and endings are hard, especially when there are a lot of good stories to wind up. But I would NOT say this means don't read the book - if you like mysteries, human psychology, the dark side of human nature, as well as well-told stories, read this book! You won't be disappointed.
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