Reviewed by Sonia

The �sad little boy� tells the story of a young boy�s pain, experienced while his mother is suffering from a terminal illness.

The changing point of view in the story is distracting, partly because the story is so short, and partly because the boy�s slant on events is too clear and �adult�.

As a reader I think I was meant to be struck by his strength, to sympathise with him, and perhaps be comforted as he is comforted, but I couldn�t get past the fact that a father wouldn�t collect his son after his mother has died.

Subject matter this emotional and potentially �touching� needs to be told with more feeling, it can be told through telling rather than showing, but the telling needs to be less clinical and mechanical if an emotional response to is to be elicited.