I'm getting really tired of books that start out good and then dwindle into boring. Sadly, A Good and Happy Child by Justin Evans follows that now all too familiar pattern. The protagonist, George Davies, is a new father who cannot (will not?) touch his son. In order to discover why, he turns to journals he wrote when as a preteen he experienced mystic happenings. Perhaps the book's aim was to prove a little mysticism goes a long way. If so, it succeeded. But I sense its goal was grander, as it explored issues of religion, of good and evil, and their very existence in today's world. Did young George truly see a demon? Did he exorcise it himself? Did his experiences parallel those of his father who may have been killed by demons during a pilgrimage to South America? Ultimately did I care? Not really, but I do entertain a hope that if/when this book becomes a major motion picture, Hollywood's handling of pea soup has improved.
