Wednesday, January 27, 2010

8. On the Loose by Andrew Coburn

My reading has been so blah lately and I'm not sure why. I started another book this weekend and was more than halfway through when I decided to give up on it because I couldn't get into it. I picked up On the Loose from my shelves because it was somewhat shorter and I thought I would be able to get into it quickly. It was an interesting read, and a quick one as well, and I give it a B.

Back cover:
By the time he was twelve years old, young Bobby Sawhill had killed two people, brutally and with no remorse. He was tried as a juvenille and sentenced to a youth detention center, where he refused counseling. All he seems to care about is bodybuilding, getting bigger. Stronger. Soon he'll be 21. He'll be released- and then Bobby's coming home. Home to a small town that will live in fear, certain that Bobby will kill again, unable to do anything but wait for him to strike.

I thought that On the Loose would be more of a suspense novel, but it was really a story about a small town and how a brutal and senseless murder affects them all. Told over a span of 9 years, with little explanation of how time is moving on, except small mentions of the seasons changing, it was interesting and different from anything that I've ever read before. Mr. Coburn does an excellent job of delving into everyone's emotions and grabs the reader's heartstrings. I almost found myself feeling sorry for Bobby and wasn't sure what to feel and think. The book, if nothing else, reminds us that there are always more than one side to a story, and sometimes we need to put ourselves in another person's shoes. I will definitely be looking for more books by Mr. Coburn in the future.

I am not sure what I am going to read next. In a rare moment, I have no library books checked out (though I do have a ton on hold that I am sure will come in at the same time) so I am going to grab something off of my shelves. Right now is my busy time, with subbing, tutoring online, and then working at my mom's tax business. Hopefully my reading will not suffer more than it has now. I hope everyone else is getting lots and lots of great reading in and Happy Reading!

2 comments:

Staci said...

Sounds like your busy!!! You have no books checked out from the library???? I don't I've been able to say that for almost 8 years now!!!

have a great week!

Kristie said...

It's the first time in a long time Staci. I actually picked up two today... one fiction and one cookbook. I've already browsed through the cookbook and am loving it!