Richard Doornink

1967 - a coming of age story Richard Doornink

"1967" depicts the precarious moment between childhood and adolescence in a thought-provoking, fun read that captures the mood of the era. It is a strongly written, moving account of a young boy taking his first steps to independence and true sense of self. Set in a small prairie town over a one year period, "1967" provides a wonderful portrait of a time and place long gone.

Seen from the young boy's perspective, devoid of reflection, the reader is pulled along within the frame of his experience - his point of view, his language, and his understanding. It becomes clear that the boy's "growing up" has less to do with physical development than with recovering a buried memory.

Lacking a real moral centre, the main character is an anti-hero but immensely likeable, for although he is canny and quick-witted, he is nevertheless an innocent child, prisoner of his cultural and social-economic class.

While "1967" provides a devastating look at an impoverished existence, empty of expressed love or gentle guidance, the evocative imagery and power that fuels the writing provides vivid proof that one can survive childhood.