Tegan Moore

More than any other part of the museum, Jules calls “The Path Through Time,” the exhibit that brings the past to life, his favorite. The exhibit’s Path begins with the present day and travels all the way back to prehistoric times. Tonight, Jules is in the museum for his Aunt Lydia’s wedding reception. Tonight, as Jules walks along the Path, he both dreads and anticipates reaching the end where Arctodus waits. Tonight, as Jules walks along the Path, it will come alive in a surprisingly new way.

In this short story, twelve-year-old Jules is dealing with the fallout of his father’s affair and his parents’ resulting divorce. Then he must face his angry mother’s crazy behavior, his father’s normal that wasn’t normal, and his disappointment that his aunt, who is also his godmother, now treats him differently.

The story is both atmospheric and captivating; the descriptions are nothing short of dazzling. Readers will find themselves pulled into the story from the opening lines. As the story unfolds, the mesmerizing Path takes on a life of its own.

The strong sense of place gives the narrative allure as well as a hint of creepiness; the characters are well-developed, their relationships clearly defined. Although this is a wedding reception, there is an undercurrent of uneasiness; readers learn that Lydia and her sister [Jules’s mother] have had some sort of a falling-out.

However, although Jules assumes whatever happened between his aunt and his mother is the cause for the change in the once-close relationship he enjoyed with his godmother, there is no affirmation of this. Nor is there an explanation for the falling-out between the two sisters. It is obvious that the upheaval in his family has affected him, but readers can only wonder exactly what caused the changes that affect Jules. And, while the young boy remains the focus of the narrative, this missing piece of the backstory leaves the story feeling just a tiny bit incomplete.

Recommended.… (mais)