The Photographer's Sweethearts

A portrait of a child molestor from the inside out. The reviews refer to the "narrator" as an innocent of sorts. Maybe he qualifies as a naif, but only if you skirt the "other version," the one between the lines that hints cold-eyed at the reality. "Disturbing" isn't even the word... I really think this is a great book. I'm very curious why the author tackled the inner workings of the area of life. It must have been extraordinarily painful to write.

This was a really strange novel. Tracing the life and actions of a man named Louie Olsen in the early 1900s, it presents a disquietingly human view of a pedophile. Told from the point of view of the man himself, his delight in the beauty of both nature and children is believable, his actions almost understandable. He is not the big bad wolf we tend to picture when we think of child abusers; rather, he is a person loved by children and adults, defended by his community upon accusation. He is someone we might pass in the street and say good morning to. This, along with his childlike innocence and real, albeit perverted, love of the children, is what is truly frightening about the book. Occasionally slow in the writng, this is the kind of book that keeps you thinking long after you return it to the shelf.