The Last Dodo Bird
By Edward Saroney III Who is Sean Rousseau, and why do we care? Because believe me, by the end of this story, you will care about Sean Rousseau. Going over the book in preparation for writing a review, the name "Rousseau" (especially when paired with "Sean," given that the Enlightenment philosopher's name was "Jean-Jacques Rousseau") stood out as a possible clue to our hero's nature. But in fact except for a similarity in both men's seeming belief in the essential goodness of humans, the elder Rousseau's relatively wild life, many loves, and various failed "careers" is about as far from Sean's story as it could be. We meet Sean Rousseau shortly after his love, Mary, has passed away, suddenly and unexpectedly. We meet her daughters and families, and right away learn that Sean is very attentive to details, and is particularly effected by color. And that he is a Catholic with a special dedication to the Blessed Virgin, Mary...
