The Circuit by Francisco Jimenez was touching, emotionally moving, and sad. I was struck by how much this little boy's viewpoint allowed me to feel the crush of youthful emotions again. When he had to move away right after he was primed to learn a musical instrument, I was crushed. I mean, I felt it in my chest, like, "...no way, man, just let him have this." But no. This was a series of shorts that seemed to keep punching me in the gut, much to my chagrin. I enjoyed reading this book, but it did not leave me unscathed.
The style of the book lent itself well to its emotional impact in that the shorts sort of felt chronologically ambiguous in space and seemed to help focus my attention on the feel of each piece as opposed to its path. Perhaps that is why it had the emotional impact it did for me. My emotional pump was primed, as it were. Plus, good grief, could this kid have much more heartbreak, or what? I swear, in between the losing friends, having to restart anew in school, and losing some things important to him, this poor guy couldn't get a break.
Most interestingly to me, I found much to empathize with in Jimenez's character. While not a migrant worker, I, too, moved around a lot as a kid. Losing friends and having to start anew was a frequent occurrence for me too. I had to think about adult things with the mind of a child too. So, there we crossed paths, and I was able to fully slip into Panchito's shoes, albeit with my privileged and soft feet.
Overall, I am left feeling touched by this book, if not a little sad. Thumbs up.
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