Boy's Life

"We had a dark queen who was one hundred and six years old. We had a gunfighter who saved the life of Wyatt Earp at the O.K. Corral. We had a monster in the river, and a secret in the lake. We had a ghost that haunted the road behind the wheel of a black dragster with flames on the hood. We had a Gabriel and a Lucifer, and a rebel that rose from the dead. We had an alien invader, a boy with a perfect arm, and we had a dinosaur loose on Merchants Street.

It was a magic place.

In me are the memories of a boy's life, spent in that realm of enchantments.

I remember.

These are the things I want to tell you" (Boy's Life by Robert R. McCammon)

To say I was in the right frame of mind to read this book is a large understatement. While I have been reading quite a bit lately my choices have more often than not been fictional stories based loosely on harsh modern day reality - histories of war, famine, and human suffering. I am constantly moved by the strength and beauty found by those in the darkest depths of existence and find inspiration and humility in their tales of survival. While I come away from many of these reads feeling thankful for the opportunity to hear their tale, it is not hard to imagine that my typical 'pep' on life is slowly drained with each turning page.

Sometimes one needs to feel enamored by life again. Not only that happiness comes from those basic needs and necessities being met but also by the fact that every once in a while, just for a moment, we can experience a true and beautiful moment of magic.

Magic.

Ok - some claimed this book to fit unceremoniously into the typical coming-of-age, cliched magical realism realm of the 90s. I on the other hand found it to be everything I hoped and needed it to be and loved it.

McCammon for Boy's Life branched away from his typical Horror genre but kept the bouncy and at times punchy writing style that keeps readers continuously on their toes peeking around the corner. While the protagonist Cory experiences all the wonder and magic a young boy ought to it is not without a dualistic vision of the world in it's darkest moments.

On another note - if you have been looking for a great coming of age novel with a male protagonist then this is the book for you! Dynamic, curious and respectfully independent, not unlike Scout Finch (To Kill A Mockingbird), the young Cory Mackenson is a character you miss deeply when his tale comes to an end.