Two Roads is the story of a boy and his father who are trying to make their way and survive during the Great Depression. The story has several admirable qualities. First, this historical novel is heavy on the history, and the setting and events surrounding it are researched to an extent that makes it feel like this story really might have happened. In particular, the focus on the hobo culture brings an element into the story that many readers are unfamiliar with and will find interesting. The characters are likable, and their struggles and victories are easy to identify with. Several characters in the story show concern for other people, even other people for whom they have no real responsibility, and sometimes at great risk to themselves. This selflessness makes the book refreshing and uplifting.
However, the book suffers from a lack of good pacing. The first portion of the book is an engaging read and entertaining, and in it the author deftly balances action, dialogue, and the internal monologue through which much of the history and culture in this novel is imparted. Near the halfway point of the book, there is a major change in the direction of the plot, and at that point, the action slows down and the internal monologue ramps up. From then onward, the story seems to drag and become mired in description of minutia and historical facts. Some of these facts are discussed multiple times, when a single mention would have been enough, and though this was done for emphasis, the events mentioned are engaging enough that the repetitive emphasis was not needed and served only to make the story seem to drag.
Overall, I found this book to be interesting and to have some unique qualities about it, but I would have enjoyed it more if it had more of the character interaction and plot and less introspection and recounting history from the main character.
Review of an Advance Reading Copy
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Dial Books for Young Readers
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 3 religious exclamations; 11 mild obscenities.
Note: The word “Negro” is used a few times in historical context, and the word “Injun” is used when referring to Mark Twain’s character, “Injun Joe”.
Violence/Gore: A character punches another good-naturedly; a few instances of verbal threats; guns fired in the air as a threat; characters have a brief scuffle; a character is put through a painful, but not injurious or gory, medical procedure; a wrestling contest; a boxing match (as a sport); character are hit with the flat of swords, knocked down, cut (drawing blood), and subjected to tear gas; a few instances where a character sees visions of the past and future, some of which involve blood and minor gore; some characters have old wounds from war or from abuse; homes are intentionally burned a few times.
The majority of the violence in this novel is given only as reports and includes reports of: a few killings, without any details; a WWI battle; people forced to walk until their feet bled; an adult male who abused female children (the type of abuse is not specified); a death and someone’s liver being eaten; children being abused (a few reports); beatings; a person who broke bones in a fall; a bloody injury in a shop class.
Sex/Nudity: Characters hold hands; students circumvent rules keeping girls and boys separate at a school; characters flirt verbally; characters are naked during a ritual (not sexual); a character is naked while changing clothes and remembers drying himself naked by a campfire (not sexual); report of an adult male who abused female children (the type of abuse is not specified, but sexual is one obvious conclusion).
Mature Subject Matter:
Racial discrimination; theft; poverty/homelessness; government corruption; train-hopping; war; arson; bullying; neglect of veterans; fraud; supernatural content (a character sees visions of the past and future); death (family member).
Alcohol / Drug Use:
People are referred to as “worthless drunks”; adults drink alcohol, including whiskey; adults smoke cigarettes and cigars.
