Some of Tim’s Stories – S.E. Hinton – 160 pages
“…a profound and wry compilation of fourteen short stories. Terry and Mike are cousins whose families are almost seamlessly intertwined. Raised as close as brothers and living happy childhoods, neither one thinks of what can go wrong. But the unexpected deaths of both their fathers catapult their lives in two very different directions. Terry finds trouble with the law, while Mike lives his life racked with guilt and sadness. In her first book in four years… S. E. Hinton gives readers a gritty view of how one incident, one tragedy, affects two boys very differently, and changes their lives forever.” –from US.PenguinGroup.com
I’ve always loved The Outsiders, and in fact I treasure a distinct memory of reading the whole book in one sitting for school in 6th grade, even though we’d been strenuously instructed not to read ahead of the single chapter we were assigned. I did that a lot, but I was pretty good at playing dumb about the content of the rest of the books. Anyway, though The Outsiders is dear to me, I’ve never read any of your other work. Out of the blue I decided to change that, and picked up Some of Tim’s Stories. I’m extremely glad I did.
What a captivating little book! I’m a sucker for connected-but-separate short stories, like the ones in this collection, and was drawn in at once by your plain, stark prose and by Mike and Terry’s personalities. I mean, talk about craftsmanship. You really know how to spin a tale, weaving all the threads together and making it look easy, while still keeping it so blessedly simple. Though the subject matter was sometimes poignant or saddening, these stories were really a treat. You have a deft touch, and reading your work now was just as satisfying as when I read rebelliously ahead in The Outsiders some fifteen years ago. Five stars.
Love,
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