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.