R.M. Kinder, "Madman’s Moon"

Local kids have a little fun with the town “moron.”

(from A Near-Perfect Gift)

Travis Kratz may have wanted to say a number of things, but the only words we ever heard him speak were “You got a quarter?” and “Want me to do a jig?” He was a moron, a genuine one, a clinical one, and he was ugly, even if innocence should have made him cute.

On one hand, there’s something sort of Hollywood-ish about this: the small town kids taking out their boredom and frustration on anybody who’s different, in this case the “slow” boy who is almost certainly harmless. But on the other, larger hand (picture Hellboy) “Madman’s Moon” feels more democratic, more understanding of all its potential monsters. The local kids, gently repressed at all turns, are reduced to a pack mentality. Only in numbers can they push the boundaries. It’s an idea made plain by the “we” narration. (So you’re never quite clear what gender the narrator is.)
Here’s
R.M. Kinder’s homepage. (She’s a woman.)

One thought on “R.M. Kinder, "Madman’s Moon"

  1. de mogirl

    Hi Patrick

    I like the idea of the author exploring causes/explainations for harsh behavior that would otherwise (without such) generally cause us (the audience) to close our hearts off to such people, in pretty much the same way that these kids have done in this story towards the “slow boy”.

    The first step towards tolerance, compassion and healing, is understanding, I believe.

    A story I would not mind reading. I think I might find it healing.

    Thanks for the review.

    Reply

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