Blanky by Kealan Patrick Burke
CreateSpace (September 2017)
80 pages; $6.99 paperback; $2.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington
I love the tagline on the cover of Kealan Patrick Burke’s new novella, Blanky: “The gift that keeps on living.”
And then there’s the opening, one that immediately draws the reader into the story:
You say you can’t imagine what it must be like to lose a child.
Let me make it easy for you.
It’s the beginning of the end of your world.
What follows is a story I’d compare to having the rug ripped out from under your feet again and again, as a baby blanket picked up at a flea market seemingly goes on a killing spree.
In addition to being a great storyteller, Kealan Patrick Burke is a true word craftsman, filling his story with gems like these:
“The light through the partially open blinds was, like me, feeble and gray.”
“I stayed at the bar until the choice was removed and the drinks stopped coming.”
“Red and yellow leaves tussled across the grass that was one rain shy of needing a haircut.”
Blanky effectively blurs the line between grief and insanity and is a read I would definitely recommend.
