Mule Boy
East-central Pennsylvania, 1929: Ondro Prach is only thirteen years old when he is trapped in a pitch-black mine with four other mine workers after a collapse. He will be the only one to emerge alive. But nobody ever truly escapes such an experience. The rest of Ondro’s life will be shaped by the days spent in darkness and the burden of being the only survivor.
This book has excellent literary values. The language is atmospheric and evocative, and the reader absorbs the full horror of how Ondro manages to escape. Analogies between the mine, prison, and the belly of Jonah’s whale are nicely developed. The author keeps his readers hooked by skillfully withholding some information early in the story.
One aspect is a bit unrealistic, such as the other miners’ families finding Ondro and coming to him for solace so many years after the tragedy (it also does not feel necessary to the overall story). Also, some readers will be put off by the stream-of-consciousness writing style and lack of punctuation. This style requires a little extra patience and attention from the reader, but it is well-rewarded in this case.
