BOOK REVIEW: The Silent Boy by Lois Lowry

6:48 AM


Original title: The Silent Boy

Author: Lois Lowry
Year of Publication: 2003
Number of pages: 178
I read it in: English


"If I tried to tell them this story, the one I am about to set down here, their parents would send me warning looks over the heads of the children. Don't, the looks would say. Stop."


Katy Thatcher is certain about a few things in life: first, that she wants to be a doctor just like her dad; second, that she loves her town, her friends and her family; and third, that Jacob was a good boy, and that he only meant to help, not harm.





 Katy meets a boy that is very different to every other boy. He does not talk, he only hums, he has a special connection with animals and the rest of the people push him away because they do not know how to treat him. Nevertheless, Katy is fascinated by him and they become friends, in their own way, as Jacob does not run away when Katy seats near him. This particular boy is the real center of the story and, as many other things happening in the town, it makes Katy grow up quite fast.

This one felt like a "paint-by-numbers" type of story. Lois Lowry, the author, wrote it taking inspiration from old photographs that appear at the beginning of each chapter and, as it is set in the 20th-century, it had the timed appearance of period cars and artifacts.

The narrator, Katy, tells us on the first chapter that the story is depressing and old and too sad to remember or tell, and you forget that as the story goes on as not much happens, until everything explodes and then it is over. It is a short, dark story that deals with mental illness, ignorance and the loss of innocence, that I recommend if you have some free time and are looking for a quick book. Even if to me the context and some of the characters felt very two-dimensional, the story of Jacob and his family is one that I will always carry in my heart. 

As a little side-note, I have seen A LOT of reviews, mostly from parents, complaining that the book is not appropriate for the age group it is targeted to (pre-teens). The book has a section of 'Questions for discussion' so children or teenagers can analyze and be critic about the story, characters and plot, that could also serve as a great teaching tool for topics like mental illness, and any adult could easily sit down with a kid and explain and explore all of the situations happening.
Covering kids' eyes when a sex scene comes up in a movie will not change the situation: it's still happening and you're not talking about it.


 





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