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"Childsong" by author Thor Polson, depicts the experiences of several freshmen at a small Midwestern college. Among the various characters are a pious church-goer confused by a troubled childhood, an athletic ex-sailor who flaunts his sexual prowess, a sad small-town girl whose one- night stands are meant to fill the void left by her lost innocence, a handsome football star consumed by his own ego, a hypocritical divinity student, a hard- bitten orphan, and a few freewheeling professors. Played out against a stark psychological framework, the themes of hedonism, jealousy, and despair ultimately lead to the students' self-destruction, and it is only through poetry and compassion that one student can finally find his way out of the chaos.
Childsong
Thor Polson
Athena Press (2007)
ISBN 9781844017317
Reviewed by Danelle Drake for Reader Views (11/08)
Inside the plain, grey, non-descript cover of “Childsong” is, in my opinion, a work of literary genius. Sometimes the most difficult book to read can be the most rewarding, and, as you read becomes more and more interesting.
Examining and putting forward the turbulent environment of college students anywhere and at any time makes any specification of place and time necessary, thus the writer does not give an exact location or an exact date For those that focus on detail this may be hard to overcome but this dismissal of information lends to the universal relevance of the characters.
I could see myself, as you will be able to see yourself, among the group of self-centered, free-wheeling, fun-loving college students. We are not always proud of who-we-were during those years of discovery but every experience you go through makes you grow stronger. With characters that are not all good or all bad, we read of a group that is loveable and dislikeable all in one. Sometimes, and definitely in this case, extraordinary things transpire in the most ordinary of circumstances.
With “Childsong,” Thor Polson uses his talent with words to create a piece of work that was definitely worth the twenty-year wait. This is not meant to be an easy read, but once you become engrossed in the story, and you will, you will not put this book down. When you are reading the final sentence (“They sat silently in the park and listened to the wind in the trees.”) you will realize life is what you make of it.
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