Book Review: Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them by A. Rey Pamatmat

Title: Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them

Author: A. Rey Pamatmat

Genre: Plays

Number of Pages: 90

Rating: B+

Recommended?: Yes

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Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them is a play that deserves a much bigger audience. It’s an emotionally stirring experience that made me feel for all three of the main characters. The titular Edith is an oddball twelve-year-old girl who is essentially being raised by her teenage brother, Kenny. Their mom is dead and their father is a completely negligent screw-up who leaves his kids alone for weeks at a time.

Kenny, who is becoming increasingly aware of his own homosexuality, falls in love with his best friend Benji whose bigoted mother kicks him out. The three kids look out for each other and live an isolated existence without the typical rules and supervision parents would normally provide. I liked Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them because it felt very real to me, and the characters were easy to become emotionally attached to despite the brevity of the play.

I particularly liked Kenny and Benji’s relationship and how kind and mutually supportive it was. My only criticism was that Edith’s dialogue sometimes seemed on-the-nose and way too precocious for a twelve-year-old. Otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed this play and I would recommend it to anyone who likes good coming-of-age stories.