-Carlos-
New Member
The Heap by H.P.Albarelli Jr
This novel reminded me of Golding, with those poor children stranded on an inescapable world (island). In The Heap a priest struggles with his faith among a community of desolate, forgotten children. Mr. Fantasy, the name given the priest, finds acceptance among the children of The Heap- an enclosed area of a city block where the street children gather and live. The priest seeks to find his lost faith while living in the community; the children maintain their little world as civil as possible and shielded by the outside world.
The children themselves speak with an articulate simplicity, yet wisdom is found in their words as if they were at one time dropouts from a high-class academic school. This fact is unreal and cripples the story. Also, each child, even a lazy dog in the yard, own quirky names, like those of cartoon characters in joy with the world. This does not fit well with the plight of the children- the real world circumstance. In most novels, in my view, the names of the players themselves express a clue about who they are as characters, or maybe that’s just me. In this tale such names do not work.
It’s a short, easy read book and some may enjoy it. I won’t spoil it for potential readers by reveling the ending so I will end it here.
I give The Heap 3/5 stars .
This novel reminded me of Golding, with those poor children stranded on an inescapable world (island). In The Heap a priest struggles with his faith among a community of desolate, forgotten children. Mr. Fantasy, the name given the priest, finds acceptance among the children of The Heap- an enclosed area of a city block where the street children gather and live. The priest seeks to find his lost faith while living in the community; the children maintain their little world as civil as possible and shielded by the outside world.
The children themselves speak with an articulate simplicity, yet wisdom is found in their words as if they were at one time dropouts from a high-class academic school. This fact is unreal and cripples the story. Also, each child, even a lazy dog in the yard, own quirky names, like those of cartoon characters in joy with the world. This does not fit well with the plight of the children- the real world circumstance. In most novels, in my view, the names of the players themselves express a clue about who they are as characters, or maybe that’s just me. In this tale such names do not work.
It’s a short, easy read book and some may enjoy it. I won’t spoil it for potential readers by reveling the ending so I will end it here.
I give The Heap 3/5 stars .