"It was like my brain really wanted to but my mouth didn't know how yet or maybe just didn't try hard enough," Tony says of learning how to talk. But as the first-person narrator, Tony is well-suited to describe his world in fresh ways. He can't lean on stereotypes; he can only learn about the world as he perceives it, tabula rasa."
"Tony too escapes into the night sometimes, where he encounters a "slumber party" in an alley and Dylan-a homeless, teenaged cousin with green, then orange, dyed hair who shows Tony around, takes him home, or out for doughnuts on occasion. Dylan shares his story with Tony over a day-old doughnut."
"A string of bad luck, beginning in a broken childhood, keeps Dylan in fight or flight mode as he tries to get by. He describes his circumstances as a result of some choices, sure, but also an absurd sequence of events-involving bowling alley drug dealers and a man with a chimpanzee who briefly takes him in."
Baby in the Night is Kevin Sampsell's second novel featuring Tony Ventura, a two-year-old first-person narrator who describes his world with fresh perspective unclouded by stereotypes or cynicism. Unable to fully articulate his experiences, Tony searches for his departed father, believing him to be the Moon. Throughout his journey, Tony encounters Dylan, a homeless teenage cousin with dyed hair, who shares stories of misfortune stemming from childhood trauma and absurd circumstances involving drug dealers and unexpected housing situations. Tony listens without judgment, displaying childlike compassion toward people living in poverty, including his own mother. The novel draws thematic inspiration from Harold and the Purple Crayon, exploring how a child's innocent perception creates compelling narratives about loss, poverty, and human connection.
#literary-fiction #coming-of-age-narrative #poverty-and-homelessness #childhood-perspective #surrealism
Read at Portland Mercury
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