Review: Onions

'' ''Have you read all these books?''

''Yep, at one time or another. I encourage you to read. The more you read, the more you know, the more confident you'll become and the harder it will be for people to take advantage of you.'' ''

★★★☆☆

From Goodreads:
When twelve-year-old "Onions" arrives at his new foster home in Lozen, Arizona, he brings with him only a skateboard and a lot of anger. After he spots an old lady and tries to snatch her purse, he learns the first of many lessons Sandrine, a retired circus performer, will teach him. From Sandrine he learns about the magic of books, the challenge of playing the trumpet, and, most of all, the importance of never giving up. Onions is a moving and inspiring story for all ages and everyone who believes in miracles… and love.

The message is clear: You can achieve anything if you try hard enough and you have the right people guiding you forward.
Charles Wesley Onions is a touring foster child, neglected by his alcoholic mother. The latest foster family lives in a town that will forever change his life for the better. As many hopeless situations turned to accomplishments; Onions' story begins with him doing not-so-good things and then learning the hard way to get his act together.

The storyline itself is quite unrealistic. The odds of befriending a former circus actor, organizing rallies against a sports dome, and building a lightweight aircraft are not of this world. Even if small town people might be more potent to do crazy things to spark up their lives. Or at least that's what happens in books and movies.

I didn't get attached to any of the characters. There wasn't anything tying me to them emotionally, anything to keep me rooting for their success or failure. But the contrast that drew the characters towards each other was immense. A young boy without a family versus an old woman who grew up surrounded by her circus family. To an outsider, the two couldn't be more apart. But still, they are drawn to each other by a tether that controls a majority of their everyday lives. Loneliness, being surrounded by people but never having a dear friend.

Looking back, it's hard to say what I think of the reading experience. Onions was definitely a good read, but not necessarily something that I would pick off the shelf just like that. It's not a rollercoaster full of twists and turns. More like one of those books that you can read a few pages and come back whenever.