Official Review: A Subtle Stranger by K R Albers
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Official Review: A Subtle Stranger by K R Albers
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Subtle Stranger" by K R Albers.]
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Although A Subtle Stranger says that it is a short story, in my opinion, at 93 pages it is probably more accurate to call it a novelette, falling somewhere between a short story and a novella.
It is the story of a boy named Ben who is dealing with the death of his mother, his fathers grief and subsequent alcohol addiction, on top of all the other things a boy of fifteen has to deal with.
A drifter is hiding out in the woods near town and all the folk are in an uproar. The sheriff tells Ben to steer clear, but of course that only makes him more curious. He seeks out the man to spy on him. The man in the woods is suffering his own grief which makes is easy for Ben to talk to him and share his pain at last. He helps the boy to feel less alone. The drifter has taken up his solitary life to deal with his grief and Ben decides that he will join the man and run away as well. Ben’s father, after a terrible night in which he can sink no lower, joins AA and starts on recovery from his addiction. Ben has his doubts about it lasting however and still plans to leave town on the next train although the drifter tries to talk him out of it. What will it take to keep Ben there with his Dad who needs him?
This isn't the sort of book I normally choose to read. I generally like to read to escape the more depressing sides of life, but I actually enjoyed this one. I liked Ben and I was with him the whole time as he works through the stuff that is happening in his life. He is honest and logical in the face of deep emotional stress and I had to cheer for him as he pushed through it all. The book also has a bit of a surprise at the end that I found delightful.
The only thing I didn't care for was the frequency of editing and formatting issues I ran across. The version I read was PDF so I’m giving the benefit of the doubt that maybe other version are without errors such as the last word of the sentence being on the line before now and then, or the extra spaces here and there. But I can’t over look the missing words and stuff like that which were annoying.
I give A Subtle Stranger 3 out of 4 stars. I took off one star for the poor editing, and I suppose because it’s just not the sort of thing I can really love. It is however well written and well worth the read in other respects. I recommend it to anyone who likes books on dealing with “stuff” and life.
***
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Share This Review
It is the story of a boy named Ben who is dealing with the death of his mother, his fathers grief and subsequent alcohol addiction, on top of all the other things a boy of fifteen has to deal with.
A drifter is hiding out in the woods near town and all the folk are in an uproar. The sheriff tells Ben to steer clear, but of course that only makes him more curious. He seeks out the man to spy on him. The man in the woods is suffering his own grief which makes is easy for Ben to talk to him and share his pain at last. He helps the boy to feel less alone. The drifter has taken up his solitary life to deal with his grief and Ben decides that he will join the man and run away as well. Ben’s father, after a terrible night in which he can sink no lower, joins AA and starts on recovery from his addiction. Ben has his doubts about it lasting however and still plans to leave town on the next train although the drifter tries to talk him out of it. What will it take to keep Ben there with his Dad who needs him?
This isn't the sort of book I normally choose to read. I generally like to read to escape the more depressing sides of life, but I actually enjoyed this one. I liked Ben and I was with him the whole time as he works through the stuff that is happening in his life. He is honest and logical in the face of deep emotional stress and I had to cheer for him as he pushed through it all. The book also has a bit of a surprise at the end that I found delightful.
The only thing I didn't care for was the frequency of editing and formatting issues I ran across. The version I read was PDF so I’m giving the benefit of the doubt that maybe other version are without errors such as the last word of the sentence being on the line before now and then, or the extra spaces here and there. But I can’t over look the missing words and stuff like that which were annoying.
I give A Subtle Stranger 3 out of 4 stars. I took off one star for the poor editing, and I suppose because it’s just not the sort of thing I can really love. It is however well written and well worth the read in other respects. I recommend it to anyone who likes books on dealing with “stuff” and life.
***
Buy "A Subtle Stranger" on Amazon
Buy "A Subtle Stranger" on Barnes and Noble
View hassle-free sample of "A Subtle Stranger"
Latest Review: "Desolate" by Stephanie Binding
