"The Devil's Paintbox" by Victoria McKernan

An excellent historical fiction novel, this tells the tale of Aiden Lynch, a young boy whose life is destroyed by the chaos of the Civil War who joins a wagon train west. Along with his sister, they experience eye-opening adventures and heartbreak along the Oregon Trail. As usual, the cover art is deceiving. As the book begins, Aiden is "almost 16." The young man on the cover looks more like a person in his late 20s. At times, the writing seems a tad heavy-handed and events forced a bit, but then you remember that in this place, in this time, life was larger and childhood was much more brief. Without doubt, this is not "Little House on the Prairie." In the end, I was won over by an authenticity in the details. The third person narrative and clear research by the author makes it feel like real history, even if all of these things may not have necessarily happened to one person. It is not a happy tale, although bits of light do pierce the darkness. Much like an Irishman, the reader must accept that with every good thing that happens, tragedy is likely to follow. You do begin to feel for Aiden, who doesn't recognize his own will of iron, but wonder if true happiness will ever touch his life. As usual, I do have one small complaint -- in this case, the title. "The Devil's Paintbox" refers to smallpox, and while it does weave in and out of the story, I'm not sure I would title the book in this way. It makes it seem as if this is a story about smallpox. It's really not. Admittedly, "The Devil's Paintbox" is a far more interesting title than "Aiden's Journey" or something more on point, but it's not particularly accurate. The book is a coming-of-age story, a travelogue, but not a story about a disease. It's not even a drama, strictly speaking, as there are multiple climaxes and no specific denouement. The tale meanders more than it directs, with distinct peaks at the middle of the book, another about two thirds of the way in, and one at the end. One event doesn't lead to another, they simply open the storyline to a "new chapter" as it were. In this way, the book feels real, it simply is a slice of life rather than a moral all neatly wrapped up. I liked the book, and feel that it could raise interest in this part of American history for the readers (a nice bibliography is offered at the end). I also like the strong male protagonist, feeling that it gives the book a wide appeal. With historical fiction not moving much these days, it is worth marketing.