It’s really quite an achievement I managed to go all through school without reading ”Of mice and men”. Flea, my wife, as she sometimes murmuring refers, had to read it three years in a row for different teachers in her mid-teens.

It’s easy to see the appeal of this novella as a group read for a group of young people, though. It’s well-constructed in the “it’s all there for a reason” sense of the world, and the moral discussion about friendship, responsibility for others and what constitutes a bad act is very clear. A bit too clear perhaps. The whole thing is a little predictable, and I’m not entirely sure I like what this book is saying. Still, a deserved classic, no doubt.

“The red pony” is on the surface a story about a boy getting a horse, losing it to illness and then getting a new one. But cleverly interwoven is a discussion about the ending of a life, and who has the right to decide when it’s no longer worth living. And finally, and even more interesting, it reveals itself to also be a story about losing faith in someone and what having someone lose faith in you does to elf-image. It’s much less focused than “Of mice and men”, and not quite as good. It’s different parts don’t quite seem to fit together, and the characters seem less keenly observed. A pretty good read, nevertheless.

So, I guess a 4 for “Of mice and men” and maybe 3,5 for “The red pony”. A strong 3,5 for the edition. ( )