Nobody’s Boy

Nobody’s Boy by Dianne Bates (Celapene Press)

PB RRP $12.95

ISBN: 978-0-9872556-0-0

Reviewed by Jenny Mounfield

Ron is nobody’s boy—and everyone’s. He has spent his young life moving between his troubled mother. foster parents Pearl and Brian, and assorted relatives. When Ron’s mother is sent to prison, he must stay with a new couple, Rosie and Bob. All he wants is to live with his father, but Dad now has Anna and the situation is complicated.

‘I hid behind the curtains

when I saw her in our street

mum

in a mini-skirt with

bare feet

a bottle of beer’           Excerpt from MOTHER  p10

Written in verse narrated by Ron, this is an original and competing account of a confused boy trying to make the best of his constantly changing situation. Ron is hopeful and resilient—to a point. He has friends, values relationships, and dreams of the most basic need: a life with his dad.

                            ‘MOST DAYS

                             I act remote

as the island I can see

from my bedroom window

I hurl words like grenades

all around me

brutal and deadly

Bob says he can’t understand me

Rosie shakes her head

son you’re not trying

I answer I’m not your son

I’m no longer part

of their happy-ever-after story life

no longer

trying to impress

no longer

hiding behind the mask

I’ve worn for years

no longer

checking my words

one by one

minding my damn manners

I’m the me that spells

trouble

who wants to be

who aims to be

who demands to be

for once and forever

my father’s son’           P81 (After Ron is rejected by his father)

Rather than being a tragedy in many parts, which this book could have easily been, this is a story of hope and love that ends on a distinctly positive note. The stream-of-consciousness narrative flow, devoid of punctuation, feels authentic and immediate. It is pure emotion with all the usual literary filler taken out.

Bates, an author of more than 90 books for kids and a foster-mother to boot, has a rare understanding of children in Ron’s situation. Nobody’s Boy pulls no punches. It will bring a lump to readers’ throats, but so, too, it will lighten the heaviest heart. I hope this story finds its way into classrooms. Dealing with issues all too common in today’s society, this is a book that begs to be discussed.

Jenny Mounfield is the author of three novels and a number of short stories for young people. She has been a regular reviewer for seven years, both online and in print publications. Her first novel for adults, The Unforgetting, has recently been added to the Kindle Store.