June Bug by Chris Fabry

This one is supposed to be a take-off on my favorite book of all time, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. Ummm, all I can say is I liked Les Miserables a lot better.

In this version, Jean Valjean is a man named John Johnson, and Cosette is a little girl named June Bug. Johnson and his assumed daughter June Bug travel the USA in their RV, seeing all the sights and parking in Walmart parking lots when they run out of money for campsites. There is no Inspector Javert, just a nice sheriff named Hadley Preston who wouldn’t hurt a flea or hunt down a thief. I thought there were a lot of holes in the plot, and June Bug, although somewhat endearing, is innocent and precocious in turn so that I kept having to look again to see how she was really supposed to be (nine years old). A single woman, who meets the pair in the Walmart parking lot and doesn’t know anything about them, invites father and daughter to live in her house while they’re waiting for a replacement part for the RV. I have my doubts that anyone with a lick of sense would extend such an invitation. John Johnson is too good to be true, and the real villain of the piece, whose name I won’t divulge, is way too bad to be quite believable –no redeeming qualities at all.

Anyway, I read to the end, but I’m just not recommending this novel, even though it was nominated for a Christy Award for Christian fiction last year. Maybe I missed something.

Becky’s Book Reviews: “I wish more of the story could have been told through June Bug’s perspective. We have a little bit of her story as seen through her own eyes. But the narrative shifts throughout the book to many different characters. What I did like was that most–if not all–of the characters we get to meet have some substance.”

Books, Movies, and Chinese Food: “The book is described as a modern version of Les Miserables. I could see the similarities but if you’re really looking for an adaptation, you’re not going to find it. I think the story holds up well on its own.”

Relz Reviewz: “‘June Bug’ is the very definition of bittersweet. As the final chapters reveal all the details of the truth Johnson kept hidden, my heart broke and tears flowed.”

So, yeah, they all liked it; the deficiency must be in my reading. If you want a “bittersweet” story of family intrigue and Christian suspense, check it out. But if you haven’t read Les Miserables, you really, really should before you spend reading time on June Bug.

2 thoughts on “June Bug by Chris Fabry

  1. I actually have never gotten around to reading Les Miserables. Sounds like that’s the one I should add to my list.

  2. Thanks for linking back to this. I had thought of reading that one next as Les Miserables is one of my all-time favorites.

    I don’t think I knew your 82 year old mom lived with you. We’ve had my husband’s mother (87) here for almost 3 years, and before that she was in assisted living and nursing homes. We brought her home when she was down to 90 lbs. in a nursing home, so that she could pass away at home among loved ones. But she thrived under one-on-one care, put on weight, and is holding her own. She’s still declining, but it’s slow. Probably the most difficult time for her mentally was admitting she couldn’t live alone any more (which she only did when she fell at her home and couldn’t get up until her daughter came by) and then accepting the need for a walker. We tried to present it as an aid and a help – giving her more freedom rather than less. In that sense, being in assisted living was a help because she saw other people in the same boat as she was. But Fabry’s quote in Every Waking Moment about not being able to “do” any more and becoming a spectator really hit me. I hadn’t quite realized the impact that had one her at the time. We tried to present it positively – “You’ll never have to cook or clean again!” And she liked that idea. But then there was nothing much else she could do except read, and now she can’t even do that. I wish I had been more sensitive to that at the time and found ways to make her feel useful.

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