Publisher; Templar (1 May 2011) Paperback; 216 pages
Genre; Young Adult/ Dystopia Source; Publisher
Rating;
"Sometimes it's better to live without a mother than to not live at all."
My Thoughts - A Small Free Kiss In The Dark tells the story of Skip - a young boy who has had enough of the beatings and abuse. He feels he has nothing to live for. His mother is dead, and his father turned to alcohol leaving him neglected. Ever since, he has suffered from one home to the other. He's never fitted in, so it seems only right to walk away from it all. To take a different route and live by his own rules.
He turns to the streets. Whereas first he almost seems to think that being alone will be an adventure, it soon begins to dawn on him that this is hardly the case. Life is tough out there, and without food and shelter things can get tricky.
Billy - a homeless man is the person who gives him a little hope. In due time, he becomes friends with this old man who isn't in the best of condition himself. He's weak and has a limp, someone who hardly would be willing to deal with another person; not the case. Instead he takes Skip in, looks after him, and provides for him the best he can, and if that means rummaging through bins then so be it.
Things will only get tougher though, with an on-going war being homeless is the least of their worries. They are now under the constant fear of being killed by soldiers. Their journey really hasn't begun until they meet Max and Tia though. In a way they find comfort within each other. All seem to have lost a loved one, and all seem to be looking for answers. It's no wonder that fate brings the together.
A Small Free Kiss In The Dark was a book that I had to be a little patient with at first. When there's a case in which the characters stumble across a place that holds great relevance I would like it to be described in a bit more detail, I wanted the Fun Fair to come alive for me. Something felt missing although I can't really pin point it. I wasn't exactly invested in the book shall we say, but then again there were times where something would happen and I would be anxious to turn the next page. So, its a little hit and miss you see. Had I read it a few years back the book might have even been described as amazing? Although I enjoyed the overall concept of the book, and the thought of this young boy trying to figure his way in this cruel world with the help of characters which I have to say were quite well done - it just didn't have that *WOW* factor for me.
Even though I wasn't really blown away there's no denying that it is quite thought -provoking at times, to the point where I questioned if I could finish it. It's not depressing as the case of Thirteen reasons Why or The Kite Runner, but there is something subtle about this books sadness which suddenly creeps up on you and holds you down. It's sad in a hopeless kind of way, or maybe it's the thought of these people; this old man, a baby, these children who are living in such a bleak time. The thought that even children aren't spared. It wasn't the kind of depressing that I'm used to in book, the kind that I almost seek when it comes to books that deal with grief and loss. Which is why I felt so exasperated at times because this time around I had a completely different reaction. I simply didn't want to read anymore. I had to make myself read on, and I really didn't know how to deal with that. It's hard to explain what I'm trying to say. Hopefully you got the gist of it.
An overall satisfying read that I can imagine working for some, and not as much for others. Tia is someone who I would have liked to know better really, she's quite mysterious, but I think the author planned it that way. WHAT kicks it up a notch for me at the end to a FOUR is how looking back I pretty much fell in love with the characters. I loved the solid friendships they had, and how selfless they all were at times and looked out for each other. Most of all how they all - myself included - developed this touching bond with Sixpence the baby xD
"It was the screaming that woke me up"
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