Light Boxes
By Shane Jones
The Short Take:
This dreamlike fable is completely unique. How Jones manages to put so much imagery, emotion, imagination, and story telling into such a slim little book is a tribute to his artistry. At turns frightening, uplifting, discouraging,and amusing this story about a people who are enduring endless winter will hold special meaning for those suffering from seasonal depression, but it also has a lot to say to us all.
Why?
This is a hard book to explain because there’s no ready reference point for comparison. The closest I can get is a cross between a Tim Burton animated movie and an Aesop’s fable but with a lot more metaphysical qualities.
It’s definitely a niche read, and a very narrow niche at that. But it’s hard not to be enchanted (and sometimes horrified) by this moving tale of a community engaged in a collective struggle against the depressing effects of everlasting February.
If you’ve ever felt dreary and depressed when winter lingers on too long, you’ll understand.
A Little Plot:
February (the month and an actual entity) has come to stay for hundreds of days in a small town. Plus he has banned all things that fly, from birds to balloons. The town should be crippled by depression, but they refuse to accept the situation and begin to mount a Quixotic war against February.
Then their children start to disappear.
I couldn’t find a website for Shane Jones with any content, but to find out more about the interesting way his novel made it into print, click here.
