|
What if the woods were
full of them? And of course they were, the woods were full
of everything you didn't like, everything you were afraid of
and instinctively loathed, everything that tried to
overwhelm you with nasty, no-brain panic.
The brochure promised a "moderate-to-difficult" six-mile
hike on the Maine-New Hampshire branch of the Appalachian
Trail, where nine-year-old Trisha McFarland was to spend
Saturday with her older brother, Pete, and her recently
divorced mother. When she wanders off to escape their
constant bickering, then tries to catch up by attempting a
shortcut through the woods, Trisha strays deeper into a
wilderness full of peril and terror. Especially when night
falls.
Trisha has only her wits for navigation, only her ingenuity
as a defense against the elements, only her courage and
faith to withstand her mounting fear. For solace she tunes
her Walkman to broadcasts of Boston Red Sox games and the
gritty performances of her hero, number 36, relief pitcher
Tom Gordon. And when her radio's reception begins to fade,
Trisha imagines that Tom Gordon is with her -- her key to
surviving an enemy known only by the slaughtered animals and
mangled trees in its wake.
A classic story that engages our emotions at the most primal
level, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon explores our deep dread
of the unknown and the extent to which faith can conquer it.
It is a fairy tale grimmer than Grimm, but aglow with a
girl's indomitable spirit. |
