Every reader once in a while uncovers an absolute gem of a book that sends them over the moon. I’ve just finished one of those books. It is Boy’s Life by Robert McCammon. This book swept me away into another place and time where I hung out with the characters for just shy of 600 pages. It is part coming-of-age story, part fantasy, part mystery, part suspense novel all rolled into one tidy package. The writing is impeccable. The plotting is strong and engaging. The characters are a wonderful combination of good people and bad people.
Cory Mackenson is a 12 year old boy in Zephyr, Alabama, and he still carries with him the charmed life of childhood where everything is an adventure and there is magic in the air. But he is at the age where real life starts to intrude. He is learning that there are bad people who do bad things to other people. He is learning that there are circumstances beyond anyone’s control that have dire effects on some people. He is encountering bigotry and corruption. Through it all, he and his friends work at maintaining their carefree childhood reality, finding magic in unlikely places.
McCammon gives us a narrative that feels personal, almost autobiographical in nature. Set in the early 1960’s, there is a nostalgic aire to the novel that floats the story’s many plot lines and shares the childhood sense of wonder even when events take a troubling turn. The novel flows smoothly from event to event and ties it all up in a neat literary package that reads like a gift from the author.
I have read many books by Robert McCammon and I have enjoyed them all but this novel is the jewel in his crown. It is unlike any of his books that came before. I recommend this book wholeheartedly. It reads like a breathtaking ride on a magic bicycle.