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Lost Boys: Card's Thriller An Excellent Read

© Eric Jordan Jensen

As an independent computer programmer, Step Fletcher hates the idea of working for anyone but himself. But, with three kids, a baby on the way, and a mountain of debt, he finds himself with little choice but to accept a promising job offer in North Carolina. Despite the family's high hopes for their new life, they soon find everything unraveling before their eyes. Not only does Step encounter deception and bold-faced lies at work, but also he finds out a dark secret about a trusted co-worker. To add to Step and DeAnne's frustrations, they find swarms of bugs in their house and ranting kooks in their ward. As time goes on, however, they discover a much more disturbing problem plaguing their oldest son. Usually bright and cheerful, Stevie has become silent and reclusive. He hates school, has no friends, and begins spending long hours absorbed in a computer game. Soon, the 8-year-old adopts several invisible friends. As DeAnne tries to help Stevie, she makes a terrifying discovery: the names of Stevie's "friends" match a list of young boys who have recently mysteriously disappeared from the community. It soon becomes obvious that Stevie is next on the list. In a frantic race against time, Step and DeAnne must figure out how to save their son when even the most trusted sources seem to be tearing him apart.

This chilling outline provides the basis for Orson Scott Card?s 1992 novel, Lost Boys, a study of the evil that can present itself in even the most ordinary lives. Card presents the Fletchers, a couple devoted to their children and the LDS religion, in strict counterpoint with evil in several forms: a child molester, a sister who insists she receives revelations for the whole ward, a boy with a severe mental illness, and, of course, the abductor of the boys. Each of these people threaten the family, and the Fletchers must figure out where the true evil lies in time to save their son.

Card proves himself to be not only a master of characterization, but also a master of suspense in this haunting novel. First, he brings the Fletchers alive by showing their very realistic strengths and weaknesses. We identify with Step, who admits he stayed with Mormonism only to please his wife, and now struggles against his tendencies toward swearing and skepticism. Then, there is DeAnne, a typical LDS woman who devotes her life to her family, only to find that she needs something more to feel fulfilled. Step and DeAnne experience typical marital problems, but always resolve to try harder. In short, they are realistic, interesting people whom the reader grows to care about. Because of this, the reader wants to see them safe and protected. Thus, as Card throws all kinds of obstacles at them, the reader remains glued to the book, terrified that something might happen to their new friends.

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