Title: Horizon Highway
Author: J. D. Walthall
Publisher: Westwood Books Publishing
ISBN: 978-1648035586
Pages: 202
Genre: Fiction / Crime / Mainstream Literature
Reviewed by: Jake Bishop
Hollywood Book Reviews
William Faulkner wrote, “The past is never dead. It is not even past.” This reference to being haunted by things that happen in our lives is an apt description of author J. D. Walthall’s novel, Horizon Highway. The book examines the ramifications of a tragic event in the childhood of four young black boys; an event that dogs the survivors throughout their adolescence and into adulthood. It is a past from which there is no escape.
Set in Long Island, New York, circa 1983, readers are introduced to four pre-teens, Todd, Angelo, Kevin and Richie. Todd is often bullied by his older brother and as such is frequently quick to anger. Angelo more often than not goes along to get along. Kevin is the only child of a single mother who is usually more involved with partying than parenting. The three of them live in a segregated part of the city where poverty and crime have taken root. Richie however, lives in an upscale neighborhood with two-story houses and manicured lawns. The four are drawn to one another though, and often do sleep-overs at Richie’s where the others can avail themselves of video games and other entertainments they don’t have in their homes.
Like many youngsters before them, the four decide to build a clubhouse. A place to call their own. They select a section of the woods where their hidden abode can remain unseen from the prying eyes of outsiders. They even go so far as to build it in such a way that it becomes a virtual underground bunker, impervious to the elements and the eyes of potential trespassers.
One night however, tragedy strikes. A fire gets started in the clubhouse and Kevin is trapped inside. As flames consume him, the youngster’s screams pierce the night. What to do? For ten- and eleven-year-old boys, the choice is not automatic. Fear and trauma engulf both their emotions and their thinking. Richie, in many ways the smartest of the crew, convinces Todd and Angelo to disavow all knowledge of the event. Threatening that they’ll all be held responsible for Kevin’s death if they tell anyone, he not only demands their silence but also their commitment to bury every vestige of the site so that neither Kevin or the clubhouse will ever be found.
The coverup works, until fifteen years later, when a construction crew accidentally unearths the terrible contents that had been hidden away. Now three grown men will have to deal with the fear they gave into as boys.
Walthall is a fine storyteller who weaves an intricate yarn. The writer plumbs the depths of each of his major characters with knife-edge precision. Supporting players are given spotlights too. Particularly interesting are Kevin’s downtrodden mother and a policeman who deals with the trio first as boys, then as men. The narrative and its participants put one in mind of Stephen King’s novel, The Body, which was tuned into the film, Stand By Me. But while similar in tone and feel, Walthall’s story is definitely an original tale well told. Readers will find an involving ride down Horizon Highway.