My Thoughts:
While this was a story that kept me interested in the fate of the main character, I would not call this horror. Even the review on the front cover, "A chilling nightmare...spine chilling terror..," is totally misleading. This is reminiscent of Lord of the Flies, suspenseful but not terrifying.
The main character, Leo, is a tragic one but the book reviews would make you think he's another Damien. Not so. But despite that, this book stands its ground as an example of how quickly society (and our civilized nature) can disintegrate. Acts of cruelty are balanced with characters that are both noble and compassionate. The time period, 1938, provides a great parallel between the young boys turning against Leo and the beginning of Hitler's attempt to commit genocide.
What I most enjoyed was Tryon's writing style. He has an extremely elegant way of writing that you don't see often in more contemporary writers. It's always nice when an author makes you go to the dictionary without being obnoxious about it. This is worth the read. Sad and bittersweet with a bit of hope at the end.
But my favorite Tryon novel is "Harvest Home." Want something to freak you out? Read that one. It's not a slasher, gore or hardcore horror piece. It's a lot more subtle than that. What makes it so creepy and a story that sticks with you is that it could actually happen.
The Author
Author Tidbit: Thomas Tryon was an actor before he became a published writer. Some of his roles included the title role in The Cardinal and the Walt Disney television character Texas John Slaughter.
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