The Rough Patch
Wow, I didn’t expect such emotions from this book. This is one of the those books I wished I would have read the synopsis again before reading, and to think that this came from a children’s book. Great work, Brian Lies, great job!
Evan, the fox and his dog did everything together. They had such a great relationship. They especially loved spending time together in the garden. Then, one day the dog passes away and fox is devastated. If you could only see the book’s illustration of fox down on his knees, peering down into dog’s bed, you would know exactly how this event affected him. I had to pause as I read this page, for it was an emotional moment, the first of many that this book held.
Evan tried to get on with his life but he missed his best friend and he took out that frustration, on the garden. His beautiful garden, he tore to shreds. I could feel his defeat and anger on the pages and I wondered where this novel was headed. It was a powerful moment as he tore what the two of them worked so hard to obtain, to shreds. Yet, I knew why he did it and I understood.
As the novel continued, fox didn’t look for hope in his world. He was content to live in misery. One day though, a small piece of hope came into his life. Slowly, overtime Evan accepted this small piece of hope and in the end, it was a great ending for him and I think dog, would be happy for his friend.
