Book Review: Vermilion

Vermilion. Z.L. Melton. Chicago: The Godhead Publishing, June 15, 2015, Trade Paperback, 166 pages.

Reviewed by Ray Paul.

Vermilion, by Z.L. Melton, is the story of Hollander, a young Midwestern farm boy coming of age in a tenant farmer's home with his parents and three sisters. The dynamics of the family, his father's demands, his mother's Christian spirituality, and his sister's purity are the factor's that drive his daily existence. However, the mysterious drifter who takes root in one of the outbuildings and the tall, quiet man who owns the land he and his father work, both bring him a vision of a different life than the one he lives, and presents challenges he must understand and overcome. As a reader, I ended my journey feeling Hollander fully capable of succeeding in his.

One of the enjoyable aspects of Vermilion is the rich language Mr. Melton uses throughout the book to feed his story to his reader. From the first page, I tried to define the language. By the book's end, I settled on a definition. The language is rural, Midwestern Christian, and it really works. In total, I loved the writing and the story, and I highly recommend it to readers of all ages starting as young as junior in high school. That being said, I will share one criticism. The story ends too soon.