The
Puppet’s Tattered ClothesAlan Bray. Bartleby Snopes, $9.99 paperback (45p) ISBN: 9781312331495
In The
Puppet's Tattered Clothes, Alan Bray has written a modern day fable where
hope and despair are intricately entwined and ever present. True to fabulist
form, many of the life-lessons in this tale stem from the inanimate players. A
small and seemingly lifeless troupe of marionette puppets inspires and threatens
the outcome of our protagonist’s fate.
Familiar with disappointment and fearful
of history repeating itself, Kevin is a young man who has learned to cope with
the world’s cruelty through daydreaming of far off places where abandonment and
abuse are a distant memory. It is his vivid imagination and child-like
curiosity however that end up threatening his chances for a life far removed
from his lonely existence in the North side of Chicago.
After completing a day’s work for his benevolent employer and only friend, Kevin heads off toward another dreary night alone. On his way home he meets the daughter of a renowned family of touring Marionette puppeteers. A friendship is immediately formed and validated by a contrasting yet mutual sense of displacement in their worlds. Intrigued by the apparently magical inner workings of the puppets, Kevin accidentally causes irreparable damage to one of the wooden creatures, sabotaging his chances for a new life.
The
Puppets Tattered Clothes is an eloquently
written book, warm with charm and grace that deserves to be read in your
favourite spot on a rainy afternoon without interruption. The well-meaning
characters are elegantly formed in this endearing story about the delicacies of
love and hope. Bray’s pages are bursting with bright imagery that will
stimulate the imaginations of young and old alike. In just 33 pages this slim
volume delves into and explores both the ugly and beautiful sides of human nature.
This book is symbolic of so many aspects of everyman’s struggle while remaining
subtle enough to be enjoyed as a straightforward, good old-fashioned yarn.
(July 2014)
Purchase The Puppet’s Tattered Clothes HERE.
Reviewer bio: Matthew J. Hall is a
writer who lives in Bristol, England. His poems have been published in various
literary mags and he regularly highlights new and exciting writing within the
small press on his blog screamingwithbrevity.com
