Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Description:
“Francisco Roberto Morelos is trapped in a school run by a cruel,
sadistic, corrupt principal nicknamed Evil Espinosa, and she has chosen him to
perform a Herculean task. As punishment for disobedience, he must paint 92
portraits of his classmates on a giant wall surrounding the school. He has only
3 weeks to do it, and the portraits must be perfect, or he will face terrible
consequences. In his quest to bring those students to life on the wall,
Francisco embarks on a journey into their hearts, minds and lives, where he
discovers just how much Evil has affected each and every one of them. Evil can
only win for so long however, and as his journey comes to an end, Francisco
discovers that laughter is not just a means to oppose it, but a potent weapon
that can be used to destroy it.
Inspired by the murals of victims of Evil painted on walls throughout
Mexico, The Spirit of Laughter is a story about no longer accepting and
enduring what Evil dishes out, but standing up and laughing in its face. So
laugh, loud and proud, in the face of Evil, just as the children laugh.
A valuable antidote during this time when so many of our leaders are
making toxic decisions.”
Author:
A native of Ontario, Canada where he recently returned to live, Johnathan
R. Rose has a long history of wanderlust, having visited 35 countries, and
lived in Mexico and Central America for nearly 12 years, before returning to
Canada. This is his second novel.
Appraisal:
If you’ve ever read a book or watched a movie where the good guy is an
underdog who is trying to win a battle against the bad guy who holds the
strings of power, you’ve got the basic idea of this story, at least from a high-level
perspective. But I doubt you’ve ever read something quite like this version of
that particular trope. That Francisco is young and still figuring things out
makes you pull for him even more than you might normally in what’s setup as a
battle between good and evil. You might also feel like there is a lesson here
for people much older than Francisco, like maybe Ms Espinosa is a stand in for
others people who abuse the power they’ve been given, and I think you’re right
there too. Whether you take it at face value or prefer to read deeper meanings
into it, this story is a thoroughly enjoyable read that I highly recommend.
Buy now
from: Amazon US Amazon UK
Format/Typo
Issues:
No significant issues.
Rating: *****
Five Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate word count: 50-55,000 words
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