BOOK REVIEW: OUT BEHIND THE BARN BY JOHN BODEN AND CHAD LUTZKE

 
I’ve reviewed the work of both John Boden and Chad Lutzke for this site before, so I was very keen to check out a collaboration. I enjoy both writers, but while there is some crossovers in terms of tone and subject matter, they are very different in terms of voice, each having their own compelling but quite divergent approach to prose. One of my big curiosities going in was to how the prose would work with to such distinct voices.
 
Out Behind The Barn is the story of two boys, Davey and Ronny, and their mother figure, Maggie, and their lives together on a farm. The book evokes an idyllic simplicity of rural life, without overly romanticising it’s slightly rugged nature, and one of the things the book excels at throughout is a very faint sense of wrongness, a world just slightly out of kilter. The narrative does, by degrees, peel away the layers to reveal the mysteries at the centre of the tale, but, while I did find the resolution deeply satisfying and emotionally resonant, at least as much of the pleasure of reading the book came from the journey, of the children and their new companions.
 
I’d say the prose style overall leans more towards the superb Boden lyricism, but there is also a plain spokenness that speaks to Lutzke’s influence. What impressed me was how well the two blended to create a new voice that felt consistent and assured. It’s also a near-perfect novella length tale, that manages to thread the needle of providing enough incident to justify the running length, but also allowing the characters to breathe, and the setting to shine.
 
It’s that impression of setting that stays with me the most, even beyond the startling imagery of the final pages - this is an amazingly evocative and atmospheric read, invoking childhood and the isolation and warmth of rural life in an emotional yet unsentimental way. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the work of both authors in the past, and with this, they’ve produced something very special indeed. If you’ve enjoyed either man’s work in the past, I’m confident that you’ll find this novella a richly rewarding read. I certainly did.
 
KP
21/10/18