AIM

Hope is Viewed by the End

Revisado: 11-19-23

One might be put off by the beginning chapters, the exposition, of The Lost and the Blind: drug usage, breastfeeding interpreted, sexuality expressed, and family unraveled. Very dark, yet in the darkness of this raw tale by Curt Smith, is a dim light: Mark Hayes. Struggling to take on the adult role in his household due to his father’s imprisonment and his drug-addict mother’s choice to have a live-in female partner with a newborn, Mark is a teen whose life is daily, dysfunctional.
Because of their poverty, Mark finds legal ways to work and make money. When his mom asks for money, he has to consider whether or not it ‘s for drugs or food. Survival is what he knows until he makes a connection with a teacher/ coach who encourages Mark to run. The novel gets lighter as it nears its end as his rite of passage takes a turn toward hope. As a former high school English teacher, I found this novel as thought-provoking as Catcher in the Rye, yet, unlike Holden Caulfield, Mark Hayes finds support and accepts reality with courage. Mark’s indomitable spirit allows him to find hope and run free.

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