This story reminded me a lot of the gutterpunks I crossed paths with in my spiky haired days so many years ago. While I was never homeless or living in a squat, I knew plenty of kids who were. What Sean Logan captures so well is the harsh reality of how and why these kids ended up living on the street, and the tribal-like groupings they formed. Logan shows he understands that at the core of gutterpunk culture is a deep need for family, specifically the need to create a new, better family than the one they escaped. Without fail, every gutterpunk I knew came from a home so broken it made “The People Under The Stairs” film look mild by comparison.
Another aspect of Logan’s story I appreciated was the concept of the squat itself. Amongst the gutter punks I knew, the mythical squat with electricity (or even just running water) was something of a holy grail. Back in my home town there were the stories of an old packing house with an attic the owners had forgotten about. It was supposedly the perfect squat –lights, water, even a working toilet! The rumor was, if you knew the right people you’d be let in on the secret. I couldn’t tell you if it was true or not. I never saw it. Although there were many evenings when I drove a kid home only to discover “home” was a freeway overpass or a burnt out shed where he and his buddies were squatting.
Oddly, the only aspect that didn’t work for me was the supernatural element. Its appearance in the story felt like an after thought, added only to make it fit into the genre of horror.
Regardless, I enjoyed this story immensely. The character interaction was especially good. If Sean Logan was ever to return to this subject matter, I would be happy to read / buy anything he comes up with.
« Last Edit: August 25, 2012, 04:08:12 AM by Josh_Finney »