by Adam Rapp4 out of 5 stars
This is a pretty quick read about three really damaged homeless kids and a baby on the lam.
On the surface, that's fairly interesting in its own right, but under Rapp's pen, it's a stream-of-consciousness story that's both fascinating and horrifying.
Most of the story is from the perspective of Custis, an essentially feral little boy of about 10 or 11. For him, the very raw life he's experienced on the streets both before and after he was taken in by an abusive pedophile is his normal. The "patriarch," if you will, is 17-year-old Boobie, a mentally unstable arsonist who probably just killed his parents. He narrates only through disturbing doodles, though he is not silent in the book. The baby is his little brother. And then there's Curl, a 14-year-old drug-addicted prostitute who Boobie seems to love and who nurtures, if you use the term loosely, all of them.
Enter horror. And dismay, because this world of lost and exploited children is sickening. However, the book is not without humor; there are funny, feel-good moments that are LOL worthy; and the little boy's tender, protective instincts with Curl and the baby, though a little clumsy, somehow inspire hope.
So, in summary, this is an amazing read, but not for the faint of heart.
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