The Scarecrow & George C by Mia KerickMy rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Description
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.
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."
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