‘The Owls Have Come to Take Us Away’

What an intense read: gripping, suspenseful; it kept me thoroughly engrossed, wanting to know what happened next. Things build inexorably to a climactic moment that caught this reader, at least, up in the urgency and drama.

The protagonist, Simon, is obsessed with aliens, and especially with tales of alien abduction.

One day, Simon goes camping with his parents, who send him into the woods to gather firewood. While alone in the woods, he sees a pulsing light and what he thinks is an owl; next thing he knows, he is lying on the ground and his parents are bending over him.

Simon believes — knows — that he was abducted by aliens, the “Grays,” as they are referred to. But no one will believe him; his parents send him to a psychiatrist who simply medicates him.
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As a narrator, Simon has a very distinct voice; at times stream-of-conscience. He’ll describe something; it will remind him of something else and off he’ll go on a side-note before returning to the main focus of his story. Interspersed in his main narrative, Simon also shares the chapters of a fantasy novel he’s writing.

Looking over other readers’ reactions, it seemed as though people could either relate, or they couldn’t, to Simon as a protagonist. Count me in the camp of people who related to him.

If I had to pinpoint one weakness to the book, I’d say the ending felt a little skimpy with details compared to everything that came before. The story built to that climactic, thoroughly-intense moment that I mentioned earlier … and then, bam, there’s an abrupt transition, with only brief summary to explain how everyone got to that point.

I could easily pepper author Ronald L. Smith with questions about the final situation he envisioned for the characters in this book. Dare I hope that he revisits how things ended up as described in the book’s final pages? Maybe expand that section into a sequel?

Expected date of publication is Feb. 19, 2019 by Clarion Books. Appreciation to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read a digital advance-copy.