This is a great imaginative story of a journey and contest between two totally different and opposing worlds. Particularly, the love and the quest to serve justice to victims of violence or abuse, which is no wonder; reflects the author’s experience with survivors of domestic and sexual violence. There may be some other reasons to capture this story in rather a strange and mystical place such as Herrick’s End, but I strongly feel that; the author is trying to bring us to imagine and see that; there is a secretive, hidden, and unknown world that exists for the victims and survivors of such violence.
Ollie Delgato’s journey from the Northern End of Brickside, all the way to the Herrick’s End of the Neath, shows us that; this secretive underworld or mystical place is created based on the constant struggle faced by victims of family-related violence and abuse. This constant struggle is the outcome of our society’s inactions, oppressions, insecurity, threat, or any other similar conditions that prevent justice to be served to those victims.
He started off as an innocent, unsuspecting, and loving friend, but eventually grows to become a hero of justice at the end. This may, in other words, shows us that; many victims of family-related violence and abuses get themselves into these troubles innocently and unsuspectingly, because of love. They don’t know what will happen because they are blinded by love and then when their loving world becomes the opposite, they become its victims. A situation that they have created by themselves.
But, under such circumstances, under that blind love and our society’s inactions, oppressions, insecurity, or threats; they can fight for justice, for themselves, and their loved ones, if they do something and take action.
The settings of the contents of the book through the Prologue keep me wondering with interest how the initial ancient scenes will connect with the modern settings of the story when I started reading the first chapters. But as the story reaches the part on the Freedom Trail, I started getting the idea that; it will be the change of scenes into something mystical or ancient. If similar connections have been developed and established on the book chapters’ titles with specific story topics, rather than just the use of numbers, then I think it will be more engaging and well-connected.
Yet, I give it a rating of 5 stars, because it is a great imaginative story that reflects the 2 types of worlds that exist for the victims of one of our society’s major social problems. One is the world that many may seem to portray to the public and the community in which they live under the auspice of normal and loving family life. And another is the world that exists under the banner of blind and unsuspecting love, where there is abuse and violence and where victims are constantly struggling for justice in solitude. A justice to problems, they have somehow created by themselves.
I appreciate this thoughtful review and will recommend reading this book to my book club at our next meeting.