Mystery

Running away from his abusive father and drug addict mother, 14 year old Burl finds a remote cabin inhabited by an eccentric genius. In one day, Nathaniel Orlando Gow changes Burl’s life forever. In the fall,the master orchestra conductor dies and leaves behind an unpublished masterpiece that Burl keeps for a CBC producer. However, all is lost in a fire caused by his father that destroys the cabin.

A powerful story of a young boy who can’t live at home with his parents and his new friend “the maestro” doesn’t want him either. He matures quickly when making the decision to run away and then stay in the cabin when Gow leaves. ( )

i really liked some things about this and found other things tiresome.
liked - disliked
humour- plot
hero/burl - the father following him(plot)
setting - the fire(plot) ( )

Burl runs away from his abusive father into the woods of Northern Ontario where he has a startling encounter with an urban composer craving isolation. The Maestro gives Burl a glimpse of a different life than living with a broken and abusive family, or scrabbling to survive in the wilderness.
This was part family abuse story, part wilderness adventure, and part grifter tale. And part fantasy - some suspension of disbelief is required to accept everything that 14-year-old Burl does, he acts like a much older person. But the story is a page turner. I found the ending both inevitable and a bit disappointing, and very neatly wrapped up, but the journey to get there was good.
Someone mentioned to me that the Maestro is based on Glenn Gould, which may added amusement for those familiar with the eccentric pianist.
I'd give this to readers looking for runaway stories, or adventure stories, tales of kids surviving on their own. ( )