Strange but True
by John Searles

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Book Reviews of Strange but True

Book Review: "It has been five years, enough for most anyone to move on."
Summary: 4 Stars

Alternating between the present and five years in the past, author John Searles establishes the relationship between Ronnie and Melissa, their activities on the night of the prom, and the relationship each has with his/her parents. At the same time, he reveals through specific, homely details, the hopelessness and squalor of Melissa's and Charlene's present lives--their lack of hygiene, their untidy living conditions, and their total disinterest in the present world. Melissa has taped Ronnie's photographs to the dashboard of her trash-filled car and still has her prom corsage in her freezer, while Charlene has made a shrine of Ronnie's room and refuses to let anyone enter it. Philip, the living son, is ignored, though he has been living an equally hopeless life in New York.

As Philip and his mother try to deal with the mystery of Melissa's pregnancy and her insistence that she has had no lovers, the author introduces peripheral characters--Melissa's landlords, her parents, and Charlene's ex-husband--and soon real danger threatens their lives. The symbols, omens, and portents the author inserts into the narrative (especially the crows) are obviously used to increase tension and to highlight private secrets, revelations, and bizarre plot twists. The dramatic changes made by some characters, especially Charlene, strain credulity, since they come suddenly and with little preamble, but they are necessary to resolve the Gothic plot. Some readers may be put off by the intrusive personal detail, some of which seems unnecessary, and by the amount of coincidence, but, overall, this is a good summer read--a suspenseful popular novel which builds to a blockbuster conclusion. Mary Whipple

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