A Good Heart  In this short story a group of people, some members of poverty and others of royalty are hidden in a forest clearing after what I believe is a battle during war against beasts and fictional creatures.  The story is about an older teenage boy who is torn up inside by his memories of another girl in the group. He is in love with her but she is now claimed royal by a wealthy prince so his chances of being with her are squashed now.

Story- Setting.  Judging by the way the author describes it, they are in a wooden wilderness, so maybe somewhere in the south. Somewhere that has a lot of forests and mountains, but otherwise is barren. It takes place in the future, but is told in present tense. The main character also has many flash backs of the past; and day dreams about the future.  The picture to the right depicts the flash back of the boy, Arlen, and the girl he loves, Annie.

Critical Review  Personally, I enjoyed this story, and all of the stories in Lanagan’s book Red Spikes. She seems to be a talented writer with a vivid imagination for scenery, characters, and creatures. I liked that It was an easy story line to follow, but it didn’t move too quickly, and it wasn’t boring or overly complex. She was also good at bringing the entire story together at the end, even if it did leave me with questions.

Quote from the Book  “My heart’s not pounding no more. It sits instead like a big hard bruise inside my chest, paining green in the middle, frilling blood-purple around the edge.” –Arlen Michaels (Character, on Page 39)  I think these lines in the story are rather important because they reveal that the character is at or close to their emotional breaking point. I also think Margo’s choice of words are interesting, if rather fitting.

Theme of the Story  I believe the theme of this story is that love will drive a person to do anything and to survive anything as well, and pain will only overcome love if you let it.

Author Biography  Margo Lanagan (born 1960) in Waratah, New South Wales  Australian writer of short stories and young adult fiction  Books Include: Black Juice,White Time, and Tender Morsels

Reference Slide  Lanagan, Margo. Red Spikes.  Australia, Random House Digital Inc, Print.