Book Review for Ogwen Blues

I received a free copy of this book from the author. This does not affect my review. 

Ogwen Blues, by George Heck, is a novella detailing a family’s struggles with mental health, abuse, and drugs. The novella introduces Dale Carson and his family, all of whom live on a decaying farm with little to no prospects. His stepfather, Colin, bears the financial burden of the family, while his mother, Clare, verbally and mentally abuses him. The story follows Dale and Colin, as well as their associates, as they attempt to rise above their realities, whether it be through legal or illegal means, in a broken home. 

Working in the mental health professions, you’re going to see a lot of communities infected by drug abuse. Unfortunately, these communities are often low socioeconomic areas (Section 8, HUD housing, ect.) that are rife with drug abuse. Thus, the novella reminded me of a harsh lesson one of my mentors told me, in that when you’re homeless, when you have absolutely nothing, and people look at you with disgust, alcohol and drugs are probably the only things that you can use to escape. If you didn’t already know, dealing can get you fast money. In that sense, drugs really do hold the answer to all life’s problems, despite the statistics and near death threats schools like to spout. Dale tends to remind me of these clients, doing whatever he can to escape his physical and mental troubles. And I’ve got to admit; it’s tempting. 

Then there’s Colin, who’s trapped in an unfulfilling job, saddled with a family who doesn’t recognize anything he does for them, a family who doesn’t even take pride in him taking care of them. It doesn’t excuse his negligence, but similar to Dale, Colin is trying to find an escape. Unlike Dale, Colin’s behaviors are already hard wired; it’s hard to heal from trauma when you’re older. So while Dale slides further into destruction with his choices, it’s Colin that ends it all. For all the cruelty the novella puts our characters through, Dale would’ve had a chance. Colin doesn’t, even though his choices are less destructive (save for the end, of course). 

In all honesty, the novella has a lot of potential. It shows an accurate picture of what it means to live in a community perpetuated by socioeconomic inequality, mental illness, and substance misuse. I would have been more engrossed had it not been for the wording. There are times when I could barely understand what the characters were saying, and sadly, it did detract from the story. Moreover, I would’ve preferred if the author focused more on Dale, Colin, and their family, rather than the plethora of characters around them. If the story were longer, I would’ve loved for the characters to be fleshed out, but because of the brevity of the story, I don’t think there’s a place for it.

Thus, I would give the book a 3.5 out of 5.