Genre: Coming of Age
Description:
“The thing about my uncle was that I hardly knew him. Uncle Theo kept
to himself, some would say he was a recluse, and by all accounts, that was how
he preferred it. I couldn’t precisely recall when I had seen him last in the
flesh. I just had a foggy recollection from when I was little, like a grainy
home movie with cracks and skips and frames missing…
Although ten years have passed, Rhett Littlefield has always blamed
himself for his father abandoning him and his family. When the troubled
fourteen-year-old gets kicked out of school for his latest run-in with the vice
principal, his frazzled single mother sends him to the hollers of Eastern
Kentucky to stay with his Uncle Theo, a man of few words who leads an isolated
existence with his loyal dog, Chekhov.
Resigned to make the best of his situation while still longing for the
day when Mama will allow him to return home, Rhett settles into his new life.
Rhett barely remembers his uncle, but he’s determined to get to know him. As he
does, Rhett discovers that he and Uncle Theo share a connection to the past,
one that has altered both their lives, a past that will soon come calling.
The Thing About My Uncle is an engaging and heartwarming coming-of-age
story that explores the cost of family secrets, the strength of family bonds,
and the importance of reconciling the two in order to move forward.”
Author:
A licensed attorney, playwright, and former reporter for the
Associated Press, Peter J. Stravros is an award-winning writer with a novella
and some short story collections to his credit. This is his first full length
novel. Mr Stavros lives in Louisville, Kentucky.
Appraisal:
This was a fun read. While my life as a teen boy more decades ago than
I care to admit was nothing like Rhett Littlefield’s, the protagonist of this
story, I found that I could still relate on some level. Okay, I confess, his
propensity to push limits, what ultimately led to his mother sending him to
live with his uncle, might be something I had in common with him. But not the
rest of it. I’m afraid that if I’d gone through all that he had that I might
not have done as well as he did. This was a fun read with some little mysteries
buried in it. Some of them, like what Rhett’s Uncle Theo does to make a living,
was pretty obvious to me from the start. (It took Rhett a bit longer to figure
it out.) Other things, like why Rhett’s dad had disappeared from his life when he
was only a few years old, is one that takes a while to come to light. As Rhett,
with help from his Uncle Theo, slowly figures things out and gets his life back
on track, I found myself both entertained and pulling for him as I read his
story.
Buy now
from: Amazon US Amazon UK
Format/Typo
Issues:
Review is based on an advance review copy, so I can’t gauge the final
product in this area.
Rating: *****
Five Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate word count: 85-90,000 words
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