That Was Then, This Is Now

I first read SE Hinton’s second novel as a teen.  I recall that I finished reading it on the train between Caulfield and Glenhuntly on the way to school one morning.  The ending made me feel as though I was under the train instead of in it.

When I re-read books now that had an emotional impact on me when I was younger, I find I have quite a different response.  Here are a couple of examples:

EB White’s The Trumpet of the Swan

Child: ‘NO! Don’t cut your webbing.’ Profuse tears.
Adult: ‘Is that all?  All those tears over one sentence?’

Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre

YA: ‘You go girl, stick to your morals.’
Adult:  ‘Are you insane?  Go to France with the love of your life you silly girl.’

SE Hinton’s That Was Then, This Is Now

YA: ‘NO! It can’t end that way.’
Adult:  I was expecting the impact, so it didn't hurt as much, but I still wish it didn’t end that way.

Best bit of That Was Then, This Is Now:  The brutal ending that makes you question everything you believe about right and wrong.

 

The Ink Bridge by Neil Grant

The Ink Bridge follows the separate but intersecting journeys of two kids who don’t speak.  One can’t (his tongue was removed by the Taliban); one chooses not to. 

 

Omed’s journey is gruelling and traumatic as he travels from Afghanistan to Australia with the dubious help of a nefarious people-smuggler.  He ends up working in a candle factory in Dandenong, where he befriends Hector.  Omed’s courage and bravery help Hector deal with his own trauma.  I enjoyed reading this section about places that I’m familiar with.  The descriptions of the ominous atmosphere surrounding the West Gate Bridge were spot on.

 

Many years later Hector travels to Afghanistan to find out what became of Omed.  The descriptions of Afghanistan detail a beauty that I never knew existed in that country.  The third part of the book is a great travelogue.  The book as a whole is not perfect, but an interesting and thought provoking read nonetheless.

 

Best Bit of The Ink Bridge: Her head is now on my chest and I can feel the words inside me. – Neil Grant