Beetle Boy by Margaret Willey
I kept waiting for Charles to grow up, to find his own voice and start making some of his own decisions. As a child, he was under the constant grip of his father, who forced him to lie and create a world for himself as the world’s youngest published author. Writing about the adventures of Beetle Boy, Charles didn’t enjoy the limelight but discovering a relationship with Mrs. M., a fellow author, was a definite plus. Charlie was living his dad’s dream. Alternating passages between present day and his past, Charlie’s past is haunting him. Living with his girlfriend Clara, she wants a part of Charlie that he cannot give; she wants to know about his past. His past that contains memories which are too painful to relive. I really thought I like Clara for caring for Charles after his accident but the more that I read, this trait just didn’t fit with her. She seemed to get a short-fuse over the smallest thing as she tried to talk to Charlie and she began to irritate me. The relationship with Charlie and Mrs. M. was special and enriching and I really enjoyed Mrs. M. She opens up herself to Charlie and he finds comfort in her, they both seem to have a drawn a line that they don’t dare cross. As the book came to a close, my jaw was falling, my voice screaming “no!” as I read the final chapter, I didn’t expect it to play out to that extent.
