Robert H. Lieberman

In this story, four-year-old Danny Driscoll mysteriously disappears from his day care only to turn up seven months later, mum on his whereabouts but still healthy and happy. When he comes back, however, he is different – more mature, knowing things that most children would not know, and with an enigmatic energy and magnetism. He has a message for people concerning the state of the earth and the consumption of earth’s resources, but not everyone wants to listen, particularly his worried mother, Molly.

The Last Boy has a few fits and starts with a lot of downtime in between. The reader spends a good deal of time with Molly and Tripoli, the police officer turned lover assigned to Danny’s case. Molly’s emotional turmoil and determination are compelling, but the story took too long to unfold, if it ever really did. I cared enough to keep going, but most of the characters were half-baked and the plot was a bit disorganized.… (més)