Make Them Cry, Kevin O’Brien, 2002
My favorite quote: “‘Why am I standing in this stupid empty tub?’ she asked. ‘So it catches all the blood,’ he replied.”
Notable characters: Father Jack Murphy, a widower and spiritual advisor at Our Lady of Sorrows seminary; Johnny Costello, Jack’s friend who dies under mysterious circumstances; Maggie Costello, Johnny’s sister and Jack’s friend; Peter Tobin, a talented young artist
Most memorable scene: When Jack finds John in the lake. There are others, though … oh, there are others …
Greatest strengths: The tension. There’s a little — and sometimes, a lot! — on every page
Standout achievements: There’s a lot to admire here, but I’m going to go with its guts. With its seminary setting, list of Catholic schoolboy suspects, and sexually-charged indecencies, this storyline is bound to raise some eyebrows — to which I say, Yay!
Fun Facts: This is the first Kevin O’Brien book I ever read and I liked it so much I made it my mission to meet him. Seriously. I didn’t stalk him exactly, but — well, I guess I kinda did. Anyway, he has since become a very dear friend to both me and my collaborator, Tamara Thorne, so it paid off
Other media: N/A
What it taught me: I was surprised by a lot of the scandal that took place in this book — and even more surprised when I did my own research and realized how much of it stuff really happens
How it inspired me: Tamara and I created a character in Kevin’s honor — Ryan O’Brien in the Ravencrest Saga. Ryan is Kevin’s (fictional) nephew who aspires to be a writer just like his uncle Kevin
Additional thoughts: Even after several reads (I think I’m up to number four or five now) Make Them Cry not only remains one of my favorite Kevin O’Brien books, but one of my favorites of all time. I attribute this to its uniqueness. There just aren’t many books out there like this one
Haunt me: alistaircross.com
Alistair Cross 