I chose the perfect book to read on a road trip—a short, action-packed novel by N.D. Wilson called “Boys of Blur”. It’s about a kid named Charlie whose family moves to a tiny agricultural town in the Florida swamp, where cane sugar fields are set on fire before being harvested and the boys run so fast they catch jackrabbits for fun. There’s magic interwoven through the plot, a sense of foreboding, and an apocalyptic ending complete with Lovecraftian monsters.

Maybe the only downside to choosing this book was that my family had to call my name a few times before I heard them. It was a fun read.

I know the author took some inspiration from Beowulf, which I haven’t read, so I’m sure I miss some of the depth of the book. But what I enjoyed the most about the story was the very desperate, very real stakes that plunge Charlie into the final act of the plot. I appreciate a story where I’m uncertain everyone will make it out alive and know that even if they do, there’s sure to be an unimaginable cost. I also liked that the story began and ended with a funeral. I won’t say anything further for the sake of spoilers, but it’s certainly a book I’d recommend for adults and kids alike.

N.D. Wilson has a knack for descriptions, a skill he intentionally developed by going out in public to capture everyday scenery as practice. I listen to his podcast “Stories are Soul Food” where he sometimes gets into topics related to writing and his publishing experiences. One of the most helpful things I’ve learned from him, which was displayed by the quality of writing in this novel, is the importance of a single perfect scene.

He describes this process as being akin to brickmaking. You write scene after scene until you figure out just how to make one—like a brickmaker learning to make a good, functional brick. Don’t celebrate just yet, though. So far you’ve made one brick. Now go out and make a thousand perfect little bricks just like it. That’s how a person makes a cathedral, or a novel.