Hours

I was intrigued about "The Hour Between" because this book was recommended by NPR a while back, and was written by Sebastian Stuart, who is the partner of Stephen Mcauley, one of my favorite writers. Surely, I thought, some of the brilliance may rub off on him.  And this is the kind of book I like: coming-of-age character studies where perhaps nothing much happens, but in the end because of the experience, characters are changed because of how his life is touched by the people he meets, the friends he makes, the life experiences he leads. Set in a Connecticut Boarding School in 1967 (the year I was born) the locale and time frame may not be very close to me, but I could still relate. I had some major problem with the character development, though. Arthur, the narrator, was kicked out of regular school, but we discern that his character is shy, and not really much of a risk taker. So, what gives? The best friend he meets, Katherine Felt, is the daughter of a famous movie star, and you can tell that the author (and the main character) is on love with her: she is vividly portrayed. This was a quick read, and I marginally recommend it, but not to everyone. The quirk of the characters can either be endearing  or annoying. In the beginning, I fell somewhere in the middle, but I found myself missing the characters when I was finishing the book, and after, the book made me think about my life, and the friendships I carried with me. 


(P.S. Isn't the cover beautiful?)

BC/19