Randy Vidal
In a world where a person’s gift determines their worth, Kenji lives with his parents in the Underworld: a subterranean city for the giftless. But his life changes course when a simple accident reveals he isn’t giftless after all. Kenji is used to long days without sun, filling his time with his family, and hating the gifted. The gifted-the ones who are allowed to live above the Underworld-have never worked a day in their lives. They’re talented without hard work; they’ve earned nothing yet are blessed with good fortune. Kenji and his family, on the other hand, are all giftless. They struggle to survive in the Underworld, cast away from society like pariahs for their simple failure of not being born with a gift.As Kenji helps his father build their family a new house one day, he accidentally hammers a nail into his hand. While at first shocked into a scream, Kenji realizes the injury elicits no pain. Suddenly, his world view changes. He’s not only gifted; he has a powerful, influential gift. Kenji also learns he doesn’t come from a giftless family-his mother could heal small wounds. She exhausted herself into the coma she’s in now when she overused her gift to heal Kenji as a young boy after he fell down a cliff. With these new realizations, Kenji mantles the responsibility to change his family’s fortune. He heals his father’s hands and decides to leave the Underworld to seek understanding of his new abilities so he can bring his mother back from her coma. Written for everyone, Kenji: The Boy from the Underworld appeals to most readers with its relatable themes of belonging, desperation, and overcoming insecurities. The novel provides a close and confiding first-person narrative to immerse the reader in the thrilling short story.
