The Scarecrow & George C
Mia Kerick
Publication date: June 3rd 2019
Genres: Contemporary, LGBTQ+, New Adult, Romance
High school senior Van Liss is barely human. He thinks of himself as a scarecrow—ragged and unnerving, stuck, and destined to spend his life cold and alone. If he ever had feelings, they were stomped out long ago by his selfish mother and her lecherous boyfriend. All he’s been left with is bitter contempt, to which he clings.
With a rough exterior long used to keep the world at bay, Van spooks George Curaco, the handsome new frycook at the diner where he works. But George C senses there is more to the untouchable Van and refuses to stop staring, fascinated by his eccentricity. When Van learns that George C is even more cold, alone, and frightened than himself, Van welcomes him to his empty home. And ends up finding his heart.
Their road to trust is rocky and, at times, even dangerous. And looming evil threatens to keep them apart forever.
Fair warning: You may want to strap in. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.
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*All proceeds of this book go to charity: True Colors United.
“True Colors United implements innovative solutions to youth homelessness that focus on the unique experiences of LGBTQ young people.”
The Book Review
The primary character, Van aka the Scarecrow speaks directly to the reader. This writing approach was a bit off-putting at first. However, I came to realize that I was his confidant as a reader. He was divulging tidbits to me that he could not freely divulge to anyone else. Wearing his "armor" aka the scarecrow attire, afforded him some emotional "protection" or so he wanted to believe and I could relate. Van comes across angry and bitter, but if you pay attention you see a child who is hurting. Now the question for me was why? Enter George C who is much more reluctant to share of himself.
" The kid is studying
me—his eyes seem serious, even sad, as usual, but he’s wearing a smirk. It hits me that George C
isn’t sad at all. “It’s just your eyes…they look sad, but they’re not.”
“Just like your words. They make you seem mean…but you’re not.”
This exchange between the two is very telling. They "see" each other without wanting to necessarily. Thanks to George C. who "sees" through the scarecrow to Donovan, the two heal each other and along the way get the very things they never thought they would ever have in the tormented lives.
The author did a good job of telling their story. The story moved quickly. The characters were developed enough to give us a general sense of who they were and their roles in the story and the pace was fairly quick. Yes. The author could have dug deeper with the characters and their lives. But the fact that she kept us at arm's length just as The Scarecrow and George C. would have wanted makes me like the story that much more. This was an emotionally painful story that evolved into a sweet romance. Like Donovan, who I related to more than I care to admit, says in closing
"Leave your scarecrow days behind. You won’t miss them at all."
Author Bio:
Mia Kerick is the mother of four exceptional children—one in law school, another a professional dancer, a third studying at Mia’s alma mater, Boston College, and her lone son, heading off to college. (Yes, the nest is finally empty.) She has published more than twenty books of LGBTQ romance when not editing National Honor Society essays, offering opinions on college and law school applications, helping to create dance bios, and reviewing scholarship essays. Her husband of twenty-five years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but don’t ask Mia about this, as it’s a sensitive subject.
Mia focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled people in complex relationships. She has a great affinity for the tortured hero in literature, and as a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with tales of tortured heroes and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. She is thankful to her wonderful publishers for providing her with an alternate place to stash her stories.
Her books have been featured in Kirkus Reviews magazine, and have won Rainbow Awards for Best Transgender Contemporary Romance and Best YA Lesbian Fiction, a Reader Views’ Book by Book Publicity Literary Award, the Jack Eadon Award for Best Book in Contemporary Drama, an Indie Fab Award, and a Royal Dragonfly Award for Cultural Diversity, a Story Monsters Purple Dragonfly Award for Young Adult e-book Fiction, among other awards.
Mia Kerick is a social liberal and cheers for each and every victory made in the name of human rights. Her only major regret: never having taken typing or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology. Contact Mia at miakerick@gmail.com or visit at www.miakerickya.com to see what is going on in Mia’s world.
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Thanks so much for this review. It is very satisfying to create a character that a reader can relate to.
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