ARA Review by RuthMitchell of The Boy who Lived with Ghosts
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ARA Review by RuthMitchell of The Boy who Lived with Ghosts
The Boy who Lived with Ghosts, John Mitchell's memoir is quite an emotional masterpiece artfully told through the eyes of John as he experienced life as a young boy living in England in the 1960s. His older sister suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and her bizarre behavior takes its toll on the whole family. His mother is a hot mess having to deal with supporting her three biological children and sometimes more foster children. She is awash with an overabundance of responsibilities as she navigates life with an alcoholic husband who eventually abandons them. While she does her best, she never seems to have enough energy to clean up the cat poop underneath the kitchen table, according to young John. It is a worst-case scenario for childhood.
But I found myself laughing out loud as I read. That's because Mitchell is such an astounding storyteller who has survived the worst. I couldn't help comparing this book to Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes only with a lot more humor woven throughout the book.
Mitchell’s perspective as a young boy, “the man of the house” the moniker his father charged him with upon his departure, is what makes the story so compelling. To write this story as an adult, with a child’s perspective —sometimes misplaced as a child’s limited vision can be— is sheer genius. Not too many writers could pull this off, especially under the dire circumstances which young John had to endure.
And then there are the other extended family members whose behavior is more than appalling. Like when they bring booze to Margarita’s intervention, or the “holiday” from hell to the beach. It seems nothing goes right for this family whose shenanigans are colorfully extolled by young John.
We learn of John’s own escapades as he grows in age, taking on the world with his innocent perspective. And we have to admire his courage as he heroically contributes to his mother’s concerns by buying and installing tiles in their public housing dwelling by selling his free lunch tickets.
This is just one of those books you don't want to miss. I give it five out of five stars for one of the most memorable memoirs I have ever read.
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