Hawkes Harbor by S. E. Hinton
Hawkes Harbor
by S. E. Hinton
(Audio)
I recently read The Outsiders for the first time and instantly fell in love all over again with the characters (I'd met them first in the movie based on the book) and the writing. So when I saw this by the same author, how could I resist?
I knew not to compare the two, as one is young adult fiction and this is (I believe) her first attempt at an adult novel. And I was curious about the book with really no expectations at all (except that I knew it involved a young man and a doctor who shared my last name). What I got was angst. I love angst. And, suddenly, what I got was a vampire. Whoa. That was unexpected and came out of absolutely nowhere. Not that I'm complaining; I rather like vampires (especially ones that aren't the typical vampire story).
The problem I had with this story wasn't the subject matter (disturbed men, vampires, male bonding are all pluses in my book) but with the delivery. Elements seriously just popped up out of nowhere. Huge things that should have been vital plot-turning moments (like meeting the vampire or the vampire turning human) were either described quickly in a brief flashback or skipped over entirely. I kept trying desperately to figure out the complex co-dependent sort of relationship the men in the story had with each other, but every time I thought I had it worked out, something would happen to throw it off (like the characters behaving completely contrary to what I thought they would do). I had a tough enough time trying to work out their bond without the story jumping around in time, as well. I usually love nonlinear storytelling but there were times here where it just didn't work for me and, I thought, should have just been sequential to make an even more powerful point.
The end was heartbreaking and well done. I teared up a little, but I didn't cry (I cry at everything). I wanted more than was given in the book, I think.
Certainly a much different animal than The Outsiders. But the characters are interesting enough and the audio book reader is good at the emotions behind each line. I enjoyed this, but didn't fall in love.