Boy O'Boy

April 5, 2004
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.

February 15, 2004
Gr 5-8-Doyle sets his story in the waning weeks of World War II. Martin O'Boy is an expert observer and narrator of the summer of 1945, focusing both on the ups and downs of his family and neighbors; news from the war; and the popular culture of the day, including Captain Marvel (who shares his name with Martin's friend Billy Batson). His naive voice mirrors the limited understanding of the book's prospective readers while adults will immediately see that the boy's presumptive mentor at his church is a sexual predator. Martin's world is believably real. Even the description of the sexual encounter seems like what a confused 11- or 12-year-old might say. Unfortunately, after Martin discovers that his molester is moving on to Billy, the plot becomes not impossible, but unlikely. The two boys take their revenge on the man, an organist, by sabotaging his showpiece at a celebration of the war's end. Later, Martin confesses what happened to him to a neighbor, just returned from the war, who immediately behaves as every boy would hope: the soldier confronts the organist and threatens him if he ever approaches either boy again. Thus what has been an adept and creepily believable tale edges into Captain Marvel land. Children will probably respond favorably to the "storybook" ending, but in a number of ways it trivializes what has preceded it. A flawed, but still notable, novel.-Coop Renner, Fairmeadows Elementary, Duncanville, TX

Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2004
Gr 5-8-Doyle sets his story in the waning weeks of World War II. Martin O'Boy is an expert observer and narrator of the summer of 1945, focusing both on the ups and downs of his family and neighbors; news from the war; and the popular culture of the day, including Captain Marvel (who shares his name with Martin's friend Billy Batson). His naive voice mirrors the limited understanding of the book's prospective readers while adults will immediately see that the boy's presumptive mentor at his church is a sexual predator. Martin's world is believably real. Even the description of the sexual encounter seems like what a confused 11- or 12-year-old might say. Unfortunately, after Martin discovers that his molester is moving on to Billy, the plot becomes not impossible, but unlikely. The two boys take their revenge on the man, an organist, by sabotaging his showpiece at a celebration of the war's end. Later, Martin confesses what happened to him to a neighbor, just returned from the war, who immediately behaves as every boy would hope: the soldier confronts the organist and threatens him if he ever approaches either boy again. Thus what has been an adept and creepily believable tale edges into Captain Marvel land. Children will probably respond favorably to the "storybook" ending, but in a number of ways it trivializes what has preceded it. A flawed, but still notable, novel.-Coop Renner, Fairmeadows Elementary, Duncanville, TX

Copyright 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.