mark monday's Reviews > Mio, My Son

Mio, my son... such a kind and unassuming phrase, for such a kind and unassuming boy, in such a sweet story. Such a sweet story, full of longing and sadness - but only at first. At first there is sadness, a lack of love - but then comes happiness, an abundance of love. An abundance of love - but one tinged with a strange fear, a terror of the unknown. A terror of the unknown transformed: turned into a quest, a rescue mission. A rescue mission with a boy and his friend, both still afraid and prone to tears; brave boys and then not-so-brave boys, terrified in the face of a great evil. A great evil, surely - but one with a core of self-loathing: sometimes even evil cannot abide itself, so the author makes clear. The author makes clear that it is love, love most of all, that little boys and little girls and all things need. All things need love: the love between friends; the love of a neighbor; love expressed through gestures and deeds, on the face and in the eyes; simple, friendly, kindly love - the love of all things, every thing, every person, each a possible new friend; the love of a parent, saying a simple, loving phrase: Mio, my son...