This book made me do something I have never done in my whole 35 years and which I'm still reeling from. I cried my eyes out in the last few pages of this book.
Not just a few tears but they were literally streaming down my cheeks and this just doesn't happen with me and words. I love words, perhaps even obsessively at times, but they just don't get to me like images do (I am a movie cryer) and it's always been that way.
Anyway, jumping ahead, part of the reason I was so moved I think is Alexandra Fullers amazing way of writing and making you fall in love with Colton. I wish I had a Colton for a brother and a best friend, he just seems such an amazing human being, full of so much compassion and uncluttered by materialistic worries. A rare genuine soul you could say.
The chapters are really short as well, 4-8 pages mostly, so it's as though you get a glimpse into a lot of different episodes of Coltons life and not a running commentary from childhood to fatherhood, which would've taken too long and taken away from getting to know Colton from how he was with his family and friends. I really liked this style and it suited the subject matter perfectly.
Colton H. Bryant. A gorgeous kid with a loving family and startling blue eyes. Teased as a kid, possibly for his ADHD tendacies and his struggles to concentrate on his learning. He was called a retard so often that he made up a mantra which he repeats often through the book - "Mind over Matter: I don't mind so it don't matter."
His family blew me away, they are so close, so real, so tough, so true. Colton had a very good childhood and it was largely due to these wonderful people. His friendship with his best mate Jake also blew me away. These guys are so close, so in tune with each other, it kinda made me jealous that I've never experienced a friendship quite like theirs; but I doubt many people have.
Apart from learning about Colton and wishing he would have a long and happy life, you knew that something was going to happen, something bad. I tried to believe I was mistaken though, almost put myself in denial, as I couldn't believe that tragedy was around the corner for this amazing guy but something does go wrong.
Bravo for the author that she leaves this bit until right in the last few pages. I really appreciated reading about all the good times of Coltons life for as long as possible, you just can't help but really love the guy by this stage. Also good on her for leaving the other message of the book until right at the very end so it doesn't detract from Colton's life story at all.
Colton works on the rigs in Wyoming and in particular, for a rig contracted by Ultra Petroleum. They make a huge turnover drilling for coal-bed methane gas but despite the large profits, the company isn't so great on safety training or safety devices on their rigs. Colton fell and hit his head, falling from a narrow platform which had no safety rails and wearing no safety harness as the area he was working in was too tight and the harness would've restricted his movements. Rails, which would've saved his life, would have cost $2000.
The family never received any decent compensation from the company and the contractor was ordered to pay just under $8000 to the local occupational health safety.
This amazing man becomes another statistic in Wyomings very high workplace death numbers and it would appear that nothing much has changed, despite the worst happening over and over again. There are some great articles to read on this topic, please have a look:
I simply cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is a touching tale of one man and his quest to make all those around him happy and to live his life to the absolute fullest. He is a character you wish you'd had a chance to meet. He is Colton H. Bryant, gone at 25 but never forgotten.
There is another thing that keeps repeating through the book, a saying that Colton says regularly, 'If I should die before I wake, feed Jake.'
It's from a favourite song of his I believe, by the Pirates of the Mississippi, and it obviously sticks to him because of his best mate Jake but it will stick with you as well, long after you read the book. I know I find myself saying it. It makes you think you're homouring his memory by saying it. Corny but true.
5 comments:
This sounds amazing. I'll have to look out for it. How do you read so fast? I seem to be reading all the time, and I'm only on my 6th book this year!
At the moment, I am reading Shantarm which I am absolutely loving. Will prob blog about it when I'm finished (it's nearly 1000 pages long, so it might be a while away yet)
I'm like you with the way images are a more powerful trigger for visible displays of emotion. I've read a couple of books which have made me cry (more likely to when reading out loud) but not many at all. Yet, I cry at the drop of a hat when it comes to the movies.
I've never had a really good belly chuckle at a novel though. I can concede that it's funny and it amuses me but words don't seem to trigger the same physical response. Weird.
ps. You can email me and I'll send you an invitation to read the old blog, if you like.
T - I actually read at least a couple of books at a times so it may appear I read quicker. I was reading this one and both Galileo books all at once. Shantaram has been on my list for so long, we did own it but the sister-in-law took off with it and lost it.
Ms Mac - Yes please, thanks, will email you now.
Ms Mac, bugger. Email won't work because it doesn't recognise gmail I guess.
try stellamac at hispeed dot ch.
Fingers crossed!
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