I found a copy of it at the thrift store today. I realized it's my favourite OSC book. It's just simply about parents trying to do what is best for their children. I like it a lot because I learned a lot about the Mormon faith I didn't know about. But, I still wondered why they were so worried about their son having an imaginary friend at that age. To me it's not such a big deal. Still, I loved the way Step worked hard to take care of his kids and his family, even enduring a terrible job. Sort of like Incredibles...
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
I loved the short story when I was in high school, but I have never been able to read the book.
I think it's because I didn't try reading it until I was already a husband and a father. I identify with the protagonist *waaaay* too much. It's too painful to read. Each time I try reading it, I have to stop.
Posted by solo (Member # 3148) on :
I have read the novel but I don't think I ever will again for much the same reasons as Porter stated for not reading it.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
I want to read it. I just never succeed.
Posted by solo (Member # 3148) on :
Whereas I succeeded but it was a definite struggle.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Reading it again is a struggle, and I don't even have children. I am getting to the painful part of it. Agonizing...
Posted by Brian J. Hill (Member # 5346) on :
Lost Boys is one of my favorite OSC books, not in spite of how painful it is to read, but because of it. There's something about reading words so powerful that I tear up, even when I know exactly what they are going to say, that makes it such a unique experience as a reader.
[QUOTE] But, I still wondered why they were so worried about their son having an imaginary friend at that age. To me it's not such a big deal./QUOTE]
If I remember correctly, they weren't at all worried about their son having an imaginary friend. They only became worried when he began to have several of them and when it seemed to begin seriously interfering with his ability to leave a normal life.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
*wonders what is meant by normal life*
That book made me cry so much... I normally rarely cry at the end of books. I didn't cry at the end the first time I read it, but this time I did.
Posted by Youth ap Orem (Member # 5582) on :
I cried when I finished reading, Where The Red Fern Grows. I'm such a pansy.
Posted by Scooter (Member # 6915) on :
Without spoiling (if you can), is this sad and hard to read because of some traumatizing incident that I might not want stuck in my head? For example, I really don't want to read about some terrible act of abuse, or some children being tortured, etc. Can you give me a generic sense of what some of you are talking about?
I realize the book has some similar thematic aspects to The Sixth Sense (I'm not trying to re-open that can of worms), so I understand in general why kind of book it is.
Thanks.
Posted by Catseye1979 (Member # 5560) on :
That's really hard to answer with out spoiling. Best I can say is when all secrets are reveled along with the cost of that revelation it's both surprising and with both very good things and very sad things happining at the same time. While the book dosn't "show" any bad things happening, from the very first chapter it is clear there are very bad things happening in the town out of sight of the charecters in the book.
It's a good book but for reasons posted earlier by people in this thread there is a good chance I won't read it again.
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
quote: Without spoiling (if you can), is this sad and hard to read because of some traumatizing incident that I might not want stuck in my head? For example, I really don't want to read about some terrible act of abuse, or some children being tortured, etc. Can you give me a generic sense of what some of you are talking about?
I think one of the reasons that Lost Boys is so powerful is because it is not graphic *at all*. It leaves the unpleasant details entirely untold, left to your imagination, or not. And it works *so* well here.
![[Frown]](frown.gif)