George Davies won't hold his infant son. He's afraid. Of what? Of how his troublesome (and that's saying it lightly) past will affect little Paul's future.
So begins the disturbing tale of George and the gradual unfolding of his indescribable past in Justin Evans' A Good and Happy Child. Out of desperation to repair his strained marriage and non-existent relationship with his son, George seeks help and understanding from a therapist, who asks him to recount his past in a series of notebooks. Even George wasn't prepared for the secrets that would be unveiled through this method.
His notebooks reveal his encounters with his "Friend", a ghostly mirror image of himself when he was an eleven-year-old boy. As this Friend slowly begins to affect his life and perception of reality, he then is sent to a therapist. But as the problem becomes more prominent and begins to focus on the truth behind his father's mysterious death, his father's friends step in (behind George's mother's back) and dig deeper into his mind.
For his debut novel, Evans shows excellent writing expertise with Child, combining suspense and tidbits of horror with an unthreatening dose of religion that becomes a basis explanation for little and big George's problems. In simplistic terms, Evans paints vivid images of George's dark surroundings, including the supposed demons that threaten him. The terrifying climax of the story also serves as the conclusion, leaving questions that need no answer hanging by a thread.
If you think you're getting a happy and heart-warming story in A Good and Happy Child, remember this: Never judge a book by its title. Because otherwise, you're in for a rough ride.
So begins the disturbing tale of George and the gradual unfolding of his indescribable past in Justin Evans' A Good and Happy Child. Out of desperation to repair his strained marriage and non-existent relationship with his son, George seeks help and understanding from a therapist, who asks him to recount his past in a series of notebooks. Even George wasn't prepared for the secrets that would be unveiled through this method.
His notebooks reveal his encounters with his "Friend", a ghostly mirror image of himself when he was an eleven-year-old boy. As this Friend slowly begins to affect his life and perception of reality, he then is sent to a therapist. But as the problem becomes more prominent and begins to focus on the truth behind his father's mysterious death, his father's friends step in (behind George's mother's back) and dig deeper into his mind.
For his debut novel, Evans shows excellent writing expertise with Child, combining suspense and tidbits of horror with an unthreatening dose of religion that becomes a basis explanation for little and big George's problems. In simplistic terms, Evans paints vivid images of George's dark surroundings, including the supposed demons that threaten him. The terrifying climax of the story also serves as the conclusion, leaving questions that need no answer hanging by a thread.
If you think you're getting a happy and heart-warming story in A Good and Happy Child, remember this: Never judge a book by its title. Because otherwise, you're in for a rough ride.
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