Reading Locust Lane Was Like Mounting Everest!!
Stephen Amidon, in Locust Lane, introduces readers to what we know of the world as it is now. Where the truth is not always the truth, reality is now the best story that the media, the Internet, and the police puzzle together (from real evidence or “circumstantial”), the truth now what those in power agree it is. Where parents think they know their children, who they are, what they are capable of and when they commit atrocious acts, cover up for them rather than have them ruin their image, no matter who they make the victim, who is now considered, “the criminal”.
The story is narrated by four different parents, each a parent of a child who was on Locust Lane the night of a young girl, Eden’s murder. The first story that is told to the police, however, is a lie, a tale spun to protect and reality, compounded by power and the parents taking sides. Unbeknownst to some of the group (other than the those involved) is a secret romantic relationship which binds two of the characters in a way that is not known by the whole group. And, while they may be able to uncover the truth, readers worry that who controls the narrative of what happened, not the truth, may put the wrong killer behind bars.
Along with the four parents who narrate the book there are two other parents who narrate, both still a part of what happened on Locust Lane but in different ways. One, while not one of the teenagers present at the murder, has his own demons, in regards to his late daughter, that he is dealing with. He now drowns all his days, his feelings, everything, in alcohol. But, he was there on Locus Lane the night of the murder present for something but what, he doesnt yet know. He hasn't even realized what he has really seen, yet. All he knows is that he knows something and because of this that he needs to be involved. The one thing he does not trust is the police as they have never handled things well, in the past, whenever he or his loved ones had run-ins.
The second is the mother of the dead girl. And, of all the characters present, that she is going through the worst turmoil at the time where the story takes place, in the end, leaves me with the most questions. Because, of all the parents who share what they go through, this parent, while ending up losing her daughter, loses the least of all, in my humble opinion. But, you will have to read it to disagree with my call here.
The unfortunate points in the book, for me, were that a young teen, a good teen, dominated by his best friend Jack, had the finger pointed directly at him. With Jack’s past, with Jack’s rich and prominent family, there little question he is the murderer (but, is he) especially because of previous situations with Jack that were swept under the rung, never discovered or known to many. There are a few who know the truth of Jack and it keeps readers hoping that this might be enough to save the accused from arrest? Maybe the police catch the real killer?
Then there is Hannah, Jack's girlfriend. As much as Jack dominates his friend, her, he dominates even more. Both of their stories of what happened on Locust Lane that night match up, the finger points directly at the accused, Christopher a man who, before this, no one would ever think of committing murder. The fact the family of the accused and the accused himself, is not American, that they immigrated after the death of his mother does not help the situation as they are racially harassed by the public and Internet who have deemed him quilty on face alone (literally, because of the way he looks, where he comes from).
About halfway through the book (as I had a hard time putting it down, once it got started) I was forced to put down the book. I get very emotional reading about injustice, well, really, everything about it, whether watching a television show, and I need to take a step back. But, I couldn't stay away from the book for a day, wanting to prevent further spoilers after this, I will only say that the injustice mounts and that readers only find themselves in a situation (within the book) we are very familiar with today. One where the truth is lost because of the media and the people who want to control it, who can produce the best truth.
And, Stephen’s Amidon’s Locust Lane only further illustrates with the narratives of the parents many issues we deal with when it comes to raising children such as what we can and cannot control for our children. Here though, when we look at the personalities of the parents, the way in which they were raised and the things that they do for their children in the book we wonder why some parents go further, in what they will do, then others might? What makes some parents do anything for their child, get away with anything and is it really for the child that they do these things, of themselves? It makes me curious, for these characters, parents and children, what their lives would be like in the future, after all that has happened?
For instance, the entire issue of the book, the murder, I believe stems for one that happened in the past. Out of the parents of a child, and the way in which he was able to get away with something he was not punished, in any way for. That a prior past incident was swept under the rug. At the close of the book, when the killer is unmasked and speaks of their crime sympathy, empathy is sought in their speech. As if they had no other choice then to do what they had done. In not seeing how their past actions got them there I do not think any lesson was won, in this sad murder mystery full of suspense and emotional. For me, this book was like climbing Everest and not being able to breathe.
There are so many things I could give readers to think about when reading Locust Lane. Stephen Amidon is now an author, to me, that will rival books by Wally Lamb and Jodi Picoult for the way in which he has been able to produce an emotive story through the use of characters that makes us think and feel. And, as this is my first book read by Stephen Amidon, I will forever wait for his new tales. This is a book readers don't want to miss and one you will want on your shelf, definitely a great gift for the holidays if you have one to buy for a book lover as this book would be loved by any type of reader. I just hope readers can learn better lessons from the book than the characters who, unfortunately, are so realistic of society today.
The story is narrated by four different parents, each a parent of a child who was on Locust Lane the night of a young girl, Eden’s murder. The first story that is told to the police, however, is a lie, a tale spun to protect and reality, compounded by power and the parents taking sides. Unbeknownst to some of the group (other than the those involved) is a secret romantic relationship which binds two of the characters in a way that is not known by the whole group. And, while they may be able to uncover the truth, readers worry that who controls the narrative of what happened, not the truth, may put the wrong killer behind bars.
Along with the four parents who narrate the book there are two other parents who narrate, both still a part of what happened on Locust Lane but in different ways. One, while not one of the teenagers present at the murder, has his own demons, in regards to his late daughter, that he is dealing with. He now drowns all his days, his feelings, everything, in alcohol. But, he was there on Locus Lane the night of the murder present for something but what, he doesnt yet know. He hasn't even realized what he has really seen, yet. All he knows is that he knows something and because of this that he needs to be involved. The one thing he does not trust is the police as they have never handled things well, in the past, whenever he or his loved ones had run-ins.
The second is the mother of the dead girl. And, of all the characters present, that she is going through the worst turmoil at the time where the story takes place, in the end, leaves me with the most questions. Because, of all the parents who share what they go through, this parent, while ending up losing her daughter, loses the least of all, in my humble opinion. But, you will have to read it to disagree with my call here.
The unfortunate points in the book, for me, were that a young teen, a good teen, dominated by his best friend Jack, had the finger pointed directly at him. With Jack’s past, with Jack’s rich and prominent family, there little question he is the murderer (but, is he) especially because of previous situations with Jack that were swept under the rung, never discovered or known to many. There are a few who know the truth of Jack and it keeps readers hoping that this might be enough to save the accused from arrest? Maybe the police catch the real killer?
Then there is Hannah, Jack's girlfriend. As much as Jack dominates his friend, her, he dominates even more. Both of their stories of what happened on Locust Lane that night match up, the finger points directly at the accused, Christopher a man who, before this, no one would ever think of committing murder. The fact the family of the accused and the accused himself, is not American, that they immigrated after the death of his mother does not help the situation as they are racially harassed by the public and Internet who have deemed him quilty on face alone (literally, because of the way he looks, where he comes from).
About halfway through the book (as I had a hard time putting it down, once it got started) I was forced to put down the book. I get very emotional reading about injustice, well, really, everything about it, whether watching a television show, and I need to take a step back. But, I couldn't stay away from the book for a day, wanting to prevent further spoilers after this, I will only say that the injustice mounts and that readers only find themselves in a situation (within the book) we are very familiar with today. One where the truth is lost because of the media and the people who want to control it, who can produce the best truth.
And, Stephen’s Amidon’s Locust Lane only further illustrates with the narratives of the parents many issues we deal with when it comes to raising children such as what we can and cannot control for our children. Here though, when we look at the personalities of the parents, the way in which they were raised and the things that they do for their children in the book we wonder why some parents go further, in what they will do, then others might? What makes some parents do anything for their child, get away with anything and is it really for the child that they do these things, of themselves? It makes me curious, for these characters, parents and children, what their lives would be like in the future, after all that has happened?
For instance, the entire issue of the book, the murder, I believe stems for one that happened in the past. Out of the parents of a child, and the way in which he was able to get away with something he was not punished, in any way for. That a prior past incident was swept under the rug. At the close of the book, when the killer is unmasked and speaks of their crime sympathy, empathy is sought in their speech. As if they had no other choice then to do what they had done. In not seeing how their past actions got them there I do not think any lesson was won, in this sad murder mystery full of suspense and emotional. For me, this book was like climbing Everest and not being able to breathe.
There are so many things I could give readers to think about when reading Locust Lane. Stephen Amidon is now an author, to me, that will rival books by Wally Lamb and Jodi Picoult for the way in which he has been able to produce an emotive story through the use of characters that makes us think and feel. And, as this is my first book read by Stephen Amidon, I will forever wait for his new tales. This is a book readers don't want to miss and one you will want on your shelf, definitely a great gift for the holidays if you have one to buy for a book lover as this book would be loved by any type of reader. I just hope readers can learn better lessons from the book than the characters who, unfortunately, are so realistic of society today.