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up in the treehouse
Johnny Cotter first met Charlie Milner when they were both children, attending Freeport Kindergarten. It was there that their friendship formed, and it was at Charlie’s house, in his backyard, and up in his treehouse, where the boys grew closer. But as childhood gives way to adolescence, Charlie finds himself the victim of a bullying campaign so severe that his whole world grows dark, and Johnny finds himself fearing for his friend’s safety, his sanity, and his soul. It is at Freeport High School that Charlie’s rage and sadness finally boil over, when he seeks revenge on his jock tormentors. And it is at Freeport High where Johnny has to make a decision, a choice that could cost him his life and the life of his best friend.
262 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 2, 2016
2 people are currently reading
289 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Hirsch
50 books134 followersJoseph Hirsch’s work has appeared in many publications, including “3 AM Magazine,” “Film International,” and “Retreats from Oblivion: A Journal of NoirCon.” Several of his novels and novellas have also been published. He previously served four years in the U.S. Army, in which his travels took him to locales as disparate as El Paso, Texas, Darmstadt, Germany, and Bagdad, Iraq. He lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, is online @ www.joeyhirsch.com, and has dreams of one day finding a box filled with money.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 22, 2016
WHEN A KINDERGARTEN teacher assigns Charlie Milner as Johnny Cotter’s classroom buddy, the two lads form a lifelong friendship. With the help of Charlie’s older brother and father, the kids build a treehouse that becomes their private sanctuary. As puberty thrusts them into the confusion of sexuality and insecurity, Charlie suffers brutal psychological and physical abuse at the hands of bullies. High school becomes unbearable for Charlie, which alters the course of Johnny’s life as he struggles to reconcile his desire for peer acceptance with loyalty to his best friend.
Hirsch weaves Janet Milner’s depression into the first half of the storyline in a subtle way. By the midpoint, her oddities are sufficient that even Johnny senses something is wrong with his friend’s mother. The haunted expression tinged with terror that Johnny witnesses but doesn’t understand illustrates the unintentional neglect that Charlie suffers at home. Isolated by his family and bullied by his peers, Charlie’s psyche erodes until rage overcomes fear. Powerless to stop his friend’s recklessness, Johnny must make a life altering decision.
Hirsch’s talent at using descriptive narrative as a literary device to create indirect symbolism stands with some of the best literary minds of our times. In addition to being able to transport the reader to his settings, Hirsch possesses a gift for developing multi-dimensional characters.
The creek that runs alongside the treehouse is an excellent example of Hirsch’s skill at integrating the settings into the plot. As the boys grow into adolescence and Charlie’s troubles escalate, the creek becomes increasingly polluted. This strategy symbolises Charlie’s psychological defence against the threat of fragmentation and illustrates his mental shift from victim to aggressor.
The writing throughout is strong, and Hirsch indirectly delineates the boys’ characters by emotionally showing individual challenges and unique coping mechanisms. Readers can commiserate with Charlie’s eventual fury and with Johnny’s moral ambiguity over being best friends with a bully magnet.
Hirsch has out done himself with this honest and passionate depiction of a boy’s complex journey into manhood and the devastating effects of bullying. I highly recommend this book.
To read more about this novel, go to http://lefraser.com/blog
Hirsch weaves Janet Milner’s depression into the first half of the storyline in a subtle way. By the midpoint, her oddities are sufficient that even Johnny senses something is wrong with his friend’s mother. The haunted expression tinged with terror that Johnny witnesses but doesn’t understand illustrates the unintentional neglect that Charlie suffers at home. Isolated by his family and bullied by his peers, Charlie’s psyche erodes until rage overcomes fear. Powerless to stop his friend’s recklessness, Johnny must make a life altering decision.
Hirsch’s talent at using descriptive narrative as a literary device to create indirect symbolism stands with some of the best literary minds of our times. In addition to being able to transport the reader to his settings, Hirsch possesses a gift for developing multi-dimensional characters.
The creek that runs alongside the treehouse is an excellent example of Hirsch’s skill at integrating the settings into the plot. As the boys grow into adolescence and Charlie’s troubles escalate, the creek becomes increasingly polluted. This strategy symbolises Charlie’s psychological defence against the threat of fragmentation and illustrates his mental shift from victim to aggressor.
The writing throughout is strong, and Hirsch indirectly delineates the boys’ characters by emotionally showing individual challenges and unique coping mechanisms. Readers can commiserate with Charlie’s eventual fury and with Johnny’s moral ambiguity over being best friends with a bully magnet.
Hirsch has out done himself with this honest and passionate depiction of a boy’s complex journey into manhood and the devastating effects of bullying. I highly recommend this book.
To read more about this novel, go to http://lefraser.com/blog
September 11, 2016
Hirsch really floored me on this one. I've seen him go wild with imagination and rivet readers to their seats with imagination, but I've never seen him write with this kind of soul. Touching, tender, and horrifying, Hirsch directs the reader's emotions in this work of literary realism with even more power (armed only with his characters and their relatively normal lives) than in his more thriller based work. It's a hell of a thing to behold, and I loved every minute of it.
July 29, 2017
A heartbreaking account of just how cruel kids can be, and the effects of bullying.
This book is very well written. I would definitely recommend it to others, especially those who work with kids. As a teacher, it reminded me that I need to try my best to get to know my students, and watch for signs of bullying.
I have read several books by this author, and will continue to read more of his books. So far, this book has hit closest to home, and made the strongest impact.
This book is very well written. I would definitely recommend it to others, especially those who work with kids. As a teacher, it reminded me that I need to try my best to get to know my students, and watch for signs of bullying.
I have read several books by this author, and will continue to read more of his books. So far, this book has hit closest to home, and made the strongest impact.
February 14, 2017
Very nice read
September 19, 2016
What a great second book to read from Hirsch. This one felt a little more polished than Veterans Affairs.
Once again Hirsch throws you into the deep end of reality and lets you flounder alongside the protagonist. There is no way you'll escape without paddling for your life. Hirsch has rich, realistic characters that are never quite explained to you. Your participation is required to decipher what will happen next. In a way, I felt like every character was the hero. The story doesn't seem formulaic, and you can tell Hirsch is obviously a talented writer. It was just structured enough to move you along at a decent pace, while throwing you a few hints to the outcome. Definitely an interesting read. He does a fabulous job of mixing in the darkness with reality.
Once again Hirsch throws you into the deep end of reality and lets you flounder alongside the protagonist. There is no way you'll escape without paddling for your life. Hirsch has rich, realistic characters that are never quite explained to you. Your participation is required to decipher what will happen next. In a way, I felt like every character was the hero. The story doesn't seem formulaic, and you can tell Hirsch is obviously a talented writer. It was just structured enough to move you along at a decent pace, while throwing you a few hints to the outcome. Definitely an interesting read. He does a fabulous job of mixing in the darkness with reality.
December 9, 2016
I won this book from GoodReads for an honest review.
Characters: Characters that are never quite explained to you.
Johnny Cotter: a reserved kid
Charlie Milner : the victim of a bullying campaign all his life and it gets worst as he ages.
It is a story about boys who met in Freeport Kindergarten and their life's through high school.
Charlie's dad and brother build the boys a tree house in the Milner's back yard. This is one focal point for some of the climaxes.
I was looking forward to reading this book but was very disappointed. It did not flow well and jumped ahead to much without explaining why the next climax is taking place.
Characters: Characters that are never quite explained to you.
Johnny Cotter: a reserved kid
Charlie Milner : the victim of a bullying campaign all his life and it gets worst as he ages.
It is a story about boys who met in Freeport Kindergarten and their life's through high school.
Charlie's dad and brother build the boys a tree house in the Milner's back yard. This is one focal point for some of the climaxes.
I was looking forward to reading this book but was very disappointed. It did not flow well and jumped ahead to much without explaining why the next climax is taking place.
October 25, 2016
I won this book in a giveaway for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book. The story line with the two young boys as friends and how different events in their lives affect their friendship from such a young age up until high school is very believable and relatable. I felt the author captured the essence of each of the characters really well.
The style and prose of the novel were wonderful.
I really enjoyed this book. The story line with the two young boys as friends and how different events in their lives affect their friendship from such a young age up until high school is very believable and relatable. I felt the author captured the essence of each of the characters really well.
The style and prose of the novel were wonderful.
September 20, 2017
I have to be careful in specifying which elements of this book are autobiographical. The plot involves people I know who died, and I might have to wait for the statute of limitations to expire before clarifying certain plot points and story elements.
That said, this is the best thing I've written or ever will write. It's the only one of my books to follow adolescents, or to deal with the passage of time (something like a decade goes by in the course of the book).
I laid out the bare bones structure of the work more than a decade ago, left the outline in a box for four years which I spent in the army, and then I returned to life, from the war, and I resumed work on the book. "Up in the Treehouse" languished for two years with a fly-by-night publisher who was stealing royalties from writers, so they never bothered to publish the book even after acquiring it. Eventually a whistle-blower from the imprint told me what was happening and offered to publish the book herself. I agreed, the work saw print, and someone who had written a romance novel with the same title accused me of trying to ride her coattails (despite the fact that I had conceived this novel probably half a decade before she started work on hers). The book was met with indifference in most quarters, but a few people gave it a chance and saw what I was hoping they would see. I feel vindicated by the book's very existence, and have faith that eventually it will be rediscovered, maybe after my death.
That said, this is the best thing I've written or ever will write. It's the only one of my books to follow adolescents, or to deal with the passage of time (something like a decade goes by in the course of the book).
I laid out the bare bones structure of the work more than a decade ago, left the outline in a box for four years which I spent in the army, and then I returned to life, from the war, and I resumed work on the book. "Up in the Treehouse" languished for two years with a fly-by-night publisher who was stealing royalties from writers, so they never bothered to publish the book even after acquiring it. Eventually a whistle-blower from the imprint told me what was happening and offered to publish the book herself. I agreed, the work saw print, and someone who had written a romance novel with the same title accused me of trying to ride her coattails (despite the fact that I had conceived this novel probably half a decade before she started work on hers). The book was met with indifference in most quarters, but a few people gave it a chance and saw what I was hoping they would see. I feel vindicated by the book's very existence, and have faith that eventually it will be rediscovered, maybe after my death.
December 16, 2016
I won this book through Goodreads. Heartbreaking and riveting. The characters were well developed. Very exciting new author for me.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews