The cherubic-looking boy on the cover of Canadian author Doyle's (Uncle Ronald
) latest effort belies the emotional weight of this moving and often disturbing tale. Martin O'Boy lives in Canada in the waning years of WW II, with his parents and his mentally ill twin brother. As the story opens, Martin's beloved Scottish grandmother has just passed away; meanwhile, his mother and alcoholic father (who will drink from the Aqua Velva bottle when there is nothing else available), constantly argue about anything, but chiefly money. Martin and his friend have a lucrative job singing in the church choir, but it requires them to spend time with the unsettling Mr. George, the choir director. Mr. George takes Martin for ice cream, and tricks him into eating a sundae laced with crème de menthe and brandy, which leads to a scene of molestation, devastating in its minimalism. Other minor story lines echo the me-against-the-world mindset that young Martin is slowly developing, with the ethical voice of his grandmother always ringing in his head. Although Doyle's narrative occasionally hits a false note ("I open the door. The door to the house where I don't want to live. Please somebody. Take care of me. Love me"), overall, it comes across honestly and effectively. In one standout scene, when Mr. George threatens to take Martin's youthful beauty away from him, he simply replies, to himself, "You already have, Mr. George." Despite the boy's relentlessly bleak circumstances, he manages to keep some hope alive. Ages 11-13. (Apr.)
