Carolyn's Reviews > The One-in-a-Million Boy

This is a lovely, gentle novel about the relationship between a 104 year old woman, an 11 year old boy and his often absent musician father. Ona Vitkus, born in Lithuania in 1900 lives a lonely life in her empty house in Portland, Maine. Every Saturday the local Scoutmaster drops off a boy scout to help out with odd jobs. Mostly Ona finds the boys quiet and shy, until one day a very different boy turns up who is also a bit of a misfit in this modern world. He is fascinated with her age and gradually through getting her to talk about her life they become friends. One day the boy's father Quinn turns up in his place to do his Saturday morning chores. Separated from his family, he has never really understood his son and what makes him tick but starts to get an inkling of what he's missed from the relationship his son has forged with Ona.

I loved the way Monica Wood has written this novel with the story interspersed with lists of Guiness Book records and tape recordings on Ona's story. Her prose is wonderful and she has written a beautiful story that touches on all the joys and grief of living - birth, marriage, love, friendship, loss and aging. It's one told with humour and affection for her quirky characters who through their bonds teach each other to stop living in the shadows and grab on to what life has to offer. Highly recommended.