Pathos Rising

by Walter J Roers
Amazon paperback 183 pages
genre: realistic fiction

Mr. Roers is a very nice man (we had him as a guest author at our school a few years ago) but I don't like this book as well as his first title, The Pact. This one centers on Henry Blaine, a retired man who is seeing the challenges of aging from an uncomfortable place.

I don't even really want to describe this book. The parts I liked were quick bursts and passages (he really is a good writer!) but the parts I disliked were the entire man-going-through a post-midlife crisis theme. The ending was pleasantly wonderful, but not quite enough to make the book a success for me.

When the Ron character gets the Henry character to go to lunch with him after the breakup of Ron's marriage, Henry asks him why he cheated on his wife of 40 years; was it boredom? "No, I'm not just talking about being bored. I'm not that shallow. . . . I'm talking about being around someone who makes you feel good about yourself, who maybe makes you feel like they're thrilled to see you when you walk in the room. And, frankly, is maybe a little exciting sexually." Yeah, I'll just call you a shallow jerk, Ron.

Then when the guys are discussing Ron at lunch, Jake says, "If someone is a liar and a crook at seventeen, they'll be a liar and a crook when they're seventy. That's human nature." Henry says, "You can't be serious. You've just dismissed the whole idea of redemption and choices of conscience." I have to agree with Henry on this one!

Page 165 - "I could only think what phantoms we all carry with us and how the past forever reaches out and defines the present." This is just so very sad . . . and also so true for some people who struggle with forgiveness (of themselves and/or others) and redemption.

The Pact

by Walter J. Roers
PRMS paperback 180 pages
genre: realistic historical fiction

I can't believe it took me so long to read this book! Erica uses it with our 8th grade LAX kids. It reads like a memoir - detailed, painfully real, relationships and events recounted so powerfully. I was sobbing by the end, even though I knew from reading students' assignments what happened. Michael is an average Minnesota kid growing up in the 1940s. His older brother Ron is always coming up with schemes for them to try. His baby sister Katy often needs comforting or watching. The new kid, Ricky, soon becomes his best friend. But his dad's drinking and rage dominates their lives even more than their mother's love. Powerful book! The power and pain of secrets runs strong in this first novel.

Here's another "draft" that I started many months ago . . . and I'm not sure why I didn't publish it. We had Roers come to visit last spring. Erica Penn's students had read The Pact. It was very interesting to visit with him and hear about his experiences growing up and how they shaped this book.