Title: Little Toy Car: A Coming-of-Age Story
Author: Gabe Oliver
Publisher: Gabe Oliver
ISBN/ASIN: B0BG3FKQC4
Pages: 379
Genre: Biographical Literary Fiction / Coming-of-Age Fiction
Reviewed by: Jack Chambers
Pacific Book Review
If there is any one thing which is guaranteed in this life, it is that life will never go exactly according to plan. No matter how much you try to organize your life or work at things to make something happen, some sort of roadblock or event will occur to create a detour for the path a person is walking on. The struggles and hardships a person faces in life will ultimately become a reflection of the life they lead, and it is up to that person whether they are defined by those events or if they in fact use those struggles to become the person they always wanted to be.
In author Gabe Oliver’s Little Toy Car: A Coming-of-Age Story, the author explores the life of a young man named Gene through his life as he finds the events of his past shaping his future. From his childhood with his mother, to the abuse he faced with new parental figures and troubles with the law, to facing religious ideologies being forced upon him, and pursuing a life of travel and adventure, the boy quickly becomes a man and discovers how a moment involving a little toy car in his childhood would become a pivotal moment in his life.
The author did such an incredible job of crafting a detailed, realistic, and captivating story that encompasses both the coming-of-age storytelling and psychological drama many people face in their life. The themes of family dynamics, childhood trauma, and identity were powerfully felt in this book, and the author did a wonderful job of crafting a narrative which used strong imagery to bring the stories to life on the page. The emotional depth of Gene’s growth and story as he faces strict religious factions from multiple points of his journey – to the strain of these traumas on his relationship with his mother and the difficulties that come from being in a broken home were aided by the setting of the late 90s, early 2000s to help form an almost cinematic drama in the reader’s mind.
This is the perfect read for those who enjoy family dramas, especially those with a heavy emphasis on coming-of-age storytelling and psychological dramas told in an almost biographical format. The heavy tone and atmosphere the author crafts helps to elevate Gene’s story tenfold, and keeps the reader invested both emotionally and psychologically as the events of Gene’s life unfold before their eyes.
Thought-provoking, memorable, and engaging, author Gabe Oliver’s Little Toy Car: A Coming-of-Age Story, is a must-read novel and a heartfelt story of self-discovery and overcoming great hardships in this journey that we call life. The twists and turns in Gabe’s story, from his parents and their shared past to his shocking move to California turned forced religious experience, to the true discovery of his path in life, this novel will be easily an emotional reading experience and will resonate with so many people out there.
