I feel that to truly appreciate this short, quick novel is to reread it. I'm not going to do that, so you'll have to do with my possibly short-sighted review. Beating Heart is a ghost story in a semi-traditional fashion, in that it is a life unresolved. It's fresh in that there is another life that, while truly being haunted, is largely unaware of that fact. Unusual in that it is a ghost story that is not scary.
Our Ghost tells her story in first person verse; Evan in third person limited prose. Each fits its respective character. The Ghost's POV is, I think, enhanced because of the stylization. It lends itself to a more unformed, ethereal quality. This is a book of language, love, and innocence to the point of naivete, appropriate for the youth of our characters. I empathize with Ghost and girlfriend. The experience lends Even to admit truths to himself; he doesn't know why he's suddenly come to the conclusions he has, but he does recognize what rings true, to him and to us. A very frank portrayal of the 17 year-old boy mind. Well, at least as a 25-year-old girl (me) believes it is. ;) 15+, there's sex, touches on some of the emotional issues with that.
1 comment:
demm me, jackie, you've been busy. how are you finding enough time to create and recover from various food-related disasters, what with all this reading you're doing?
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