Author John Lockton’s Odyssey’s Child is a voyage of youthful hope and potential in the face of emerging secrets. After witnessing his mother’s death, thirteen-year-old Ethan lives with his abusive father until George van Rosenthal, an influential well-wisher who makes a point of befriending and protecting young boys, invites him on a Caribbean cruise. Under the influence of George and his hired mate Johnson, a wise and well-read sailor who knows the sea and islands well, Ethan begins to emerge from his shell. Still, as George’s prejudices and repressed feelings start to rise to the surface, Johnson must maintain constant vigilance to protect Ethan.

The plot of Odyssey’s Child engages readers with some severe and disturbing topics such as racism, suicide, and pedophilia. Still, the author handles these topics well and at an excellent pace that develops alongside the characters. Lockton’s prose colorfully evokes the Caribbean to create nostalgia for life many will have never lived, but this is ultimately secondary to the excellent characters that drive the novel.

Of the three principal characters, Ethan’s development is indeed a swell of hope as he adapts to his new environment. Yet, at the same time, George is juxtaposed with this as a descent into darkness. Johnson’s character is well established and stable throughout but severely tested as he begins to see George as who he really is, and this tension becomes the key focus of the novel more than the cruise itself.

Ethan, George, and Johnson are forced to struggle with their identities in an odyssey that transcends their physical voyage. Ethan struggles to overcome his past and battles the darkness that ranges inside him from his mother’s death. With the help of Johnson, Ethan learns valuable life lessons and starts to see himself as someone that has worth and a future.

Odyssey’s Child is an emotionally charged coming-of-age novel. Readers will see some of the dark sides of humanity, but through it, they will also see the good that can be found when you look.

Pages: 355 | ASIN : B09PWWDW86