As explained during poetry month, and probably again during short story month, the usage of the word "classic" in the header of this nearly defies explanation. There is nothing classic about the review you're about to read - I just don't think "EWN Reprinted Review" has a great ring to it.
This review was originally written and emailed to EWN’ers back on February 7, 2003 (apologies for the potentially brutal read – aside from the final paragraph, I’m not sure there’s anything in there that might convince you to read this book, but I would definitely recommend you do so)
The Pains of April by Frank Turner Hollon
114 pages, published 2002 by MacAdam/Cage
Thank goodness Frank Turner Hollon finally decided to pull
this manuscript out
from under his bed and share it with somebody who had the
power to do something with it. To think
that it sat hardly being read for eleven years, and was holding back many a
great story by Hollon.
As a law student, Hollon wrote the story of the life of an ex-lawyer, during the 87th year of his life. The fact that he was an ex-lawyer just slips in a couple of places, it is not even truly necessary to the story. A great thing about Hollon’s story is that the protagonist doesn’t have that many particulars described, and stands as an average aging individual.
He lives in a retirement home, and is one of those fortunate enough to have retained his mental faculties. His biggest fear is being relegated to having meals in the back room, where those who don’t know any better are taken and fed (an example he gives is Mr. Finch, who talks to himself and ‘stirs his food round found.’ He regularly reads the paper and recalls aspects of his life as they relate to the articles he reads. To give his protagonist more situations to live through Hollon has added friends and/or acquaintances, and again placed him right in the middle of whatever was going on in their lives.
What Hollon does in having this man both recall the past and view the present, is give as honest a portrayal of life as you’ll find in the fiction section. No hype or hyperbole, not even any judgment passes through the lips or thoughts of his protagonist. Instead, Hollon simply observes and shares what he sees, and somehow has found the wisdom of nearly nine decades of living to share.
4.5 stars
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