This mildly horror-themed coming of age story is set in a small Alabama town in the early 1960s.

It begins as a series of vignettes, each one painting a vivid picture of the town and its inhabitants.

As the story progresses, these vignettes slowly come together to form a cohesive whole, revealing the deeper secrets and tragedies that lie beneath the surface of this seemingly idyllic town.

The mood of the story is evocative of Stand By Me, with a sense of nostalgia for a bygone era and a feeling of unease as the characters face the challenges of growing up in a time of change.

This change will forever alter the town and the fortunes of those who live in it, leaving them to grapple with the consequences of their actions and the choices they have made.

Overall, this is a captivating and thought-provoking story that explores the themes of growing up, loss, and the power of memory.

4.25/5 stars

Boy’s Life is my second book by Robert McCammon, and I must admit that the author is truly a master storyteller.

Set in the small town of Zephyr, Alabama in the 1960s, the book takes us through the early teenage years of Cory Mackenson, an aspiring writer, along with his family and the various incidents that occur in this rural town.

The story begins when Cory and his father, while on the early morning milk delivery, witness a car plunge off the road into the deep water of the quarry. Cory’s father dives in to save the driver but discovers to his horror that the man is already dead, badly beaten and tied to the seat. The car is beyond recovery, and the victim is a stranger with a distinctive tattoo.

Cory briefly sees a figure standing by the woods, observing, and then it disappears, leaving only a bright green feather as a trace. He keeps the feather, thinking it might be a clue, and this marks the start of an enthralling murder mystery that affects his whole family and is never far from their thoughts.

We follow Cory as he faces the challenges of life as a 12-year-old boy, including the usual bullies, racism, and disasters. However, always in the back of his mind is the murder they witnessed that morning. The author skillfully drip-feeds the clues and stunning revelations that gradually solve the mystery of this small town.

Much of the book is a story of the adventures of Cory and his friends, told in the first person and in the narrative style of a young boy. This is a strong point of the tale, but we are constantly brought back to the questions: Who was the man in the car? Who was the observer, the perpetrator?

These questions cast an immovable shadow over the following months, amidst a raging flood, a battle against school bullies, a monstrous creature in the water, a young boy with a perfect throwing arm, a magical old black lady with wisdom steeped in voodoo culture, and a hidden darkness in the ghost of Cory’s dead dog, along with nightmares and inconceivable murderers.

The story weaves together these elements in a captivating and engaging way, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat until the very end.

Somewhere deep within every grown man's mind, and just a little behind his shadow, lies a boy. Memories that grip the heart. Forever. This is the brilliant essence of Robert McCammon's Boy's Life.

I often tell everyone close to me that the best year of my life was 1977. I was 12. Star Wars was released. My Cowboys won the Super Bowl. My Yankees won the World Series. My friends and I ruled the foothills and fields - the gullies and streams of our neighborhood. We rode our bikes every day in the summer to the toy store to look at and sometimes buy model airplanes, cars, and battleships. We raced our sleds at the speed of light down backyard hills in the winter.

That's why Boy's Life and 12-year-old Cory Mackenson struck a chord with me. It brought back all those childhood memories in a deluge.

At first, Boy's Life had me wondering where it was headed. Then, it gradually began to draw me in. In the end, it stole my heart. The thrilling finale of Boy's Life occurs in 1965, the year I was born.

It's good. Damn good. Some have called it a masterpiece, and I can't argue. It reminded me of how I felt when reading The Great Brain books by John Dennis Fitzgerald as a child. Young boys getting into all sorts of adventures and mischief. Each chapter of Boy's Life is a unique vignette/adventure that, together, helps advance a darker, more sinister, and intricate storyline. Brilliant writing.

Five stars from me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When I was twelve years old, the world was like a magic lantern to me. By its green spirit glow, I could see not only the past and the present but also catch a glimpse into the future. This feeling was exactly like looking at the life in the small town called Zephyr through the eyes of a boy named Cory. Robert McCammon's writing is so effortless that it is extremely easy to immerse oneself in this novel. Here, there is one overarching story of a murder. However, the book is written more in the form of snippets. It presents various crucial events from Cory's daily life, some of which are less magical and some more. We get to know the colorful inhabitants of Zephyr, their daily struggles, and small successes. We also witness how Cory slowly matures while solving the murder mystery, becoming more attuned to the world around him. What is relevant is that he never loses his connection with the magic that can be sensed in the world. He believes that there is more to life than its superficial and most accessible layer. And this key take-away message will definitely stay with me for a long time.

I actually finished listening to this a few days ago. However, being slammed with migraines has unfortunately put me behind on reviewing. But I have a plan to properly review this masterpiece soon.

For now, if you're wondering whether this is worth your time, I'll say that it is indeed a piece of timeless southern fiction. I would reread it without hesitation. It is simply one of the best coming-of-age stories I've ever read.

As someone who has called the south home my entire life, the narrative spotlights our penchant for colorful stories, people, music, and animals. Everything here is a little larger than life, and this novel sparkles with every ounce of the magic that I hold so dear. ✨ I loved every single moment of it!!✨

All. The. Stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was an outstanding whodunit that painted a rather poetic picture of the life of a boy in a small southern town in the US during the 1960s.

Every aspect of this story was delicately sprinkled with supernatural elements, adding an extra layer of mystery and intrigue.

The author's vivid descriptions made it easy to envision the town, its people, and the events that unfolded.

However, in my view, the only drawback was its length. It felt a bit short, and I would have loved to have delved deeper into the characters and the plot.

Nonetheless, it was a solid read that I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a good mystery with a touch of the supernatural.

Overall, it was a captivating story that kept me engaged from beginning to end. ✨✨✨

Every now and then, a remarkable book like this emerges, promptly reminding me of the profound reason why I am so utterly obsessed with reading.

It was astonishingly easy to seamlessly slip into the captivating world of this story. The moment I began, I found myself completely immersed, as if drawn in by an irresistible force.

Conversely, it became extremely difficult to tear myself away from its enchanting grip. I lingered over every single word, savoring each one with the utmost relish, reluctant to let the story come to an end.

This book is without a doubt going to be counted among one of my all-time favorites. It has left an indelible mark on my literary journey, and I know I will return to it time and time again, eager to rediscover its magic.

I have finished reading this book, and I can't help but wonder, “what is wrong with me?” It seems that everyone I know is head over heels in love with this book, hailing it as the greatest literary masterpiece ever. I did like it, there's no denying that. But I didn't have that all-consuming love for it. At times, I found it truly stupendous and soaring, taking me on a wonderful journey. However, at other moments, it felt muddled and mired, leaving me a bit confused. I can't help but question if I am one of those adults who has lost the magic of childhood that McCammon so beautifully evokes in his opening. I have to confess that I might have liked this book even more if there had been nothing magical beyond the wisdom of the Lady. How many near-death experiences can a single boy have and still be allowed by his parents to roam the town freely? Even in the 1960s, when kids had more freedom than they do today, our parents would have been more cautious with a killer on the loose. And, how many disappointments does it take for a child to lose his innocent view of the world? In this case, it seems like an infinite number.

OK, now that I've stated what held me back, let me tell you what spurred me on. I need to emphasize just how well-written this book truly is. I never once considered not finishing it, and I never felt like I was wasting my time. There were moments when I was completely mesmerized by the sheer skill with which McCammon weaves his story. There are some absolute nuggets of supreme wisdom hidden within these pages, and there are also those nostalgic tugs at the sleeve that almost bring tears to your eyes.

“He seemed to have aged since that day the Branlins had beaten him senseless; he seemed to be apart from us now, in a way that was hard to explain. I think it was because he had tasted the bitter fruit of pain, and some of the magic carefree view that separates children from adults had fallen away from him forever no matter how hard he tried to pedal his bike in pursuit of it again.” This passage really rings true for me, I think it does for every man or woman who has even the vaguest memory of being a child and not yet feeling the weight of the world on their shoulders. Once that weight descends upon us, we can never fully recapture that other feeling.

Beyond capturing the essence of childhood, McCammon also does an excellent job of capturing the essence of 1960. It was a time of great change, a time that almost forms a wall between then and now for some of us. “I mean...if it goes so far, even in the little ways, we can’t ever go back. And somebody’ll say ‘Oh, it’s fine we can go to the supermarket after dark and we can pick up and choose from shelves of stuff we’ve never even heard of before, but whatever happened to those milkmen, or those fellas used to sell watermelons out of the back of their trucks, or that woman who sold fresh vegetables right out of her garden and smiled like the sun when you said good mornin’?’ Somebody’ll say ‘Oh, they sell all those things at the supermarket now, and you don’t have to go hither and yon to buy what you need, it’s all under one roof....And then you’ll have stores and roads and houses, but you won’t have towns anymore. And you’ll walk into one of those stores under one roof and you’ll ask for somethin’ and the gum-chewin’ girl’ll say no, we don’t have that. They don’t make that anymore.” This really brings home the sense of loss and change that came with that era.

I don't think this is a book that can be easily forgotten. It does a great job of fulfilling its promise of exploring a time and an innocence that is long gone. And yet, I still have this niggling feeling at the back of my throat, an aftertaste of dissatisfaction. Probably just because I expected perfection and it wasn't quite perfection for me. It was close, but not quite there. After all of this, I still gave it a 4-star rating, which means I think others should definitely read it. I would highly recommend it to others, and I fully expect that they will tell me I'm completely wrong and that this book was indeed perfection. In this case, I'm more than willing to admit that they may be right.

I'm fairly certain that I'm nearly the sole reader on GR who didn't have an affection for this book.

So, please simply take this review and shift it to the bottom of the stack.

This book was a coming-of-age narrative, which I typically relish, and I believe those elements were executed really well. Additionally, I also liked the author's writing style.

However, aside from that, I had a difficult time maintaining my mental engagement with respect to the plot. To draw an analogy from the book, this was like looking at a collection of snippets of quilts, yet I couldn't get them to form a unified quilt. It seemed that each chapter was a story in its own right, and anything one could conceive of occurred in each of these stories.

Besides the one main plot element of the man at the bottom of the lake, all the rest just felt like distractions. Perhaps it was intended to be that way, leaving me to wonder whether any of this actually happened or if it was all the imagination of a child.

In either case, this novel was too long and too disjointed for this reader. Apparently, I'm truly the only one, so take my review with a grain of salt.

First time rereading this, and it’s still the greatest book I have ever read!

This book has truly left an indelible mark on me. The moment I picked it up again, I was immediately drawn into its captivating world. The vivid descriptions and engaging plot made it impossible for me to put down.

As I turned the pages, I discovered new details and nuances that I had missed during my first reading. The characters came to life even more vividly in my mind, and I found myself empathizing with their joys and sorrows.

The author’s writing style is simply masterful. The words flow seamlessly, creating a beautiful and immersive reading experience. It’s no wonder that this book is considered a classic.

In conclusion, I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good read. It’s a book that will stay with you long after you’ve finished the last page.

This book truly made me think of To Kill a Mockingbird, but with an added hint of the paranormal.

Here we have a young, respectful boy who is growing up in the 1960s. His small and uneventful community is suddenly shaken when a murder occurs.

The boy, with his sharp and inventive imagination, much like that of a writer, becomes intrigued and even obsessed with the crime.

He then embarks on quite an adventure. His goal is not only to solve the crime but also to save his father from his own tortuous and ethical conscience.

The story is filled with great friends, a great adventure, a great tragedy, and Robert McCammon's great mystery writing. All these elements come together to make this a book that has something for everyone.

George Newbern's narration was excellent. It added to the enjoyment of the story and made it even more engaging.

I can clearly see this book becoming another coming of age classic. It has all the elements that are required to touch the hearts and minds of readers for generations to come.