Circle the Truth

Children's Literature - Jean Boreen

Rith is angry at his mother for remarrying, even though it has been years since his father's death. He routinely strikes out verbally at the stepfather he is unable to accept; further, he is frustrated by his mother's unwillingness to talk about his father. Then, one night, a mysterious cat enters his room. When he follows the cat the downstairs, Rith encounters an old man in a living room that is not his living room. The man talks in scripture and short phrases, and Rith finds himself struggling to make sense of what the man says. Eventually, though, the words begin to make sense to Rith, especially as he and his new friend Toby attend Sunday School together. Rith continues making his evening runs until the mysterious cat and old man disappear. Over the course of the story, he begins to put together some of the puzzles of his life and to figure out the truth about his father, who actually has spent the majority of Rith's life in prison. Rith finally realizes that he and his mother have been circling around the truth, and their ability to finally address it provides the catharsis Rith needs to move on with his life. An interesting plot, although questions remain at the end, especially concerning the old man. Reviewer: Jean Boreen, Ph.D.

Kirkus Reviews

Eighth-grader Orithian Haley, nicknamed "Rith," is an extremely sullen and resentful member of a blended family. He never knew his dad, who died when Rith was very young. Now his mother has remarried and has twin toddlers. Rith cannot stand his stepfather, Walt, with whom he has nothing in common. Walt makes everyone go to church, another mark against him in Rith's book. Suddenly, an eerie noise begins waking up Rith in the middle of the night. Gathering his courage, he sees a wooden staircase that isn't normally in the house. When he goes down, he sees an old man who quotes Biblical proverbs and a cat who guards the old man. Rith tries to understand what's happening, whether he's going crazy, could the man be God, etc. With the help of a new friend, he starts to puzzle it out. When the cat awakens him because his little sister has gone outside during a blizzard, Rith rescues her and the old man disappears for good. Rith finally demands the truth about his dad from his mom, but his stepfather is the one who thinks he deserves to know the unpleasant facts. This rhapsody on faith, acceptance, patience and the relationship between "truth" and "reality" is an unusual and valuable addition to the pantheon of literature for youth, particularly since faith is so seldom addressed with such neutrality in books for younger readers. (Fiction. 10-13)