Bartholomew Lampion was blinded at the age of three, when surgeons reluctantly removed his eyes to save him from a fast-spreading cancer. But although eyeless, Barty regained his sight when he was thirteen.
This sudden ascent from a decade of darkness into the glory of light was not brought about by a holy healer. No celestial trumpets announced the restoration of his vision, just as none had announced his birth.
A rollercoaster had something to do with his recovery, as did a seagull. And you can't discount Barty's profound desire to make his mother proud of him before she died.
The first time she died was the day Barty was born. January 6, 1965.
***
[Bartholomew Lampion was blinded at the age of three, when surgeons reluctantly removed his eyes to save him from a fast-spreading cancer. But although eyeless, Barty regained his sight when he was thirteen]***
(@headlinepg, 22 November 2012, 754 pages, ebook, # popsugarreadingchallenge 2020, a book published in the 20th century, bought from @AmazonKindle)
***
***
I have a feeling I might have read this book years and years ago. I have no record of it yet some of the characters and events are familiar. I read a screed of Koontz years ago before I went off him and have started to read him again over the past couple of years so it's possible I came across this one before. I enjoyed this book. There are holes in the plot such as what is the connection between crazed killer Junior and magical child Bartholomew? However, the book is very well written, the characters fleshed out, and full of drama and intensity that I just enjoyed the overall reading experience. It's not perfect but it's still a decent read. This is the kind of book where so much happens you have no idea what really goes on from one chapter to the next so you just let yourself be pulled into the flow of it all. There are multiple stories being told and it's not always clear what links them but I could live with that. Overall, I enjoyed the time I spent with this book.