Beautiful Dreamer

I flinched as I read the word "nigger" throughout the book - a word I find difficult to even write in this review. But in reality, the word represents a distillation of hatred that is necessary in the telling of this story. The violence in this story is not my style. What held my interest was the writing. I loved the effect of the starkly different voices telling their own versions of the story, from their unique perspectives, as the entire story unfolded. Getting inside the minds of racist redneck murderers and their prey on such an intimate level is first rate (and haunting) character development. Upon reflection, the harsh reality of the racism portrayed in this book, set against the unlikely alliance and mutual understanding between a white man and a black child that is developed, provides a satisfying resolution. There are several points in the story where the reader has to take implausible leaps of faith in order to allow the story to unfold as it does. If this is a weakness, to me it is a minor one. Redemption, in the end, is in the heart of the reader.