#a different boy

okay so it's called A Difficult Boy

and it's about this boy named Ethan and his dad indentures him to a local storekeeper/farmer because he's in debt to him and can't pay off his debts any other way.

and this storekeeper has another indentured boy who is Irish and his name is Daniel, but the master won't allow him to be called by his name - just calls him the generically Irish 'Paddy' - and, I'm pretty sure although it's never stated, is a complete psychopath.

So to deal with the meal deprivation, the beatings, and the emotional abuse, Paddy starts 'going away' into his own head, disassociating himself from his situation, and until Ethan comes the only thing tying him to the earth is the master's horse, Ivy, whom he loves and will spend every second he can with. 

But even though initially Ethan doesn't understand what's going on, why this man who always used to treat him kindly before he became his servant is suddenly so violent and beats both of them, and doesn't understand Daniel's 'sullenness' and 'sulky ways', through his innocent questioning of the state of affairs and why what he sees doesn't match up with what he's being told, and simply being there for the other boy, they become close friends.

((you can see where this is going and why I liked it so much))

so not to give away the ending in case any of you read it, but eventually matters come to a head and there are decisions to be made and hard issues to be dealt with, but probably the sum of my tears can be summed up with this short segment from about 3/4 through the book -

'Ethan closed his eyes and conjured up the best wish he could. "I wish I was your brother."