The Book of Lost Things
Once upon a time there was a young boy who lost his mother and in turn became lost himself in the books they both loved. His father remarried too soon, as far as the boy was concerned. Before he had time to properly mourn he was moved to a new house with a new stepmother and half brother, both of whom he resented and despised. He turned more and more to the stories in his books until, one day, he fell right in and found himself in a story.
The Book of Lost Things is an incredibly dark book. There's death and war, loss and betrayal. A lot of the deaths are horrifyingly brutal, in their fairy tale way. Some are, perhaps, more brutal than the crime warrants, while others seem a tad more just. All the same, I was constantly surprised at how dark and twisted the story became. I wonder if the fairy tales I loved as a child were half so dark, if I would have even noticed. Some things that seem deserved when the world is black and white become a lot more gruesome when you're aware of the shades of grey.
I liked the way Connolly wove a variety of fairy tales together. They were twisted, but still recognizable, and they feed on nightmares. Although, strangely enough, I was far more interested in David's life back home. The wolves and enchantresses and beast were fascinating but also, as these stories often are, predictable. I was far more drawn to the world of a boy dealing with a new family at the outbreak of WWII. But that eventually threads itself back in, at least emotionally, and everything comes together quite nicely.
Overall I enjoyed this book. It was a pretty quick read (if you ignore the 100+ page appendix), and an interesting take on this genre, I also liked that the ending wasn't wholly happy. Life happens and it's just life. Not all good or all bad, but worth it all the same.
The Book of Lost Things is an incredibly dark book. There's death and war, loss and betrayal. A lot of the deaths are horrifyingly brutal, in their fairy tale way. Some are, perhaps, more brutal than the crime warrants, while others seem a tad more just. All the same, I was constantly surprised at how dark and twisted the story became. I wonder if the fairy tales I loved as a child were half so dark, if I would have even noticed. Some things that seem deserved when the world is black and white become a lot more gruesome when you're aware of the shades of grey.
I liked the way Connolly wove a variety of fairy tales together. They were twisted, but still recognizable, and they feed on nightmares. Although, strangely enough, I was far more interested in David's life back home. The wolves and enchantresses and beast were fascinating but also, as these stories often are, predictable. I was far more drawn to the world of a boy dealing with a new family at the outbreak of WWII. But that eventually threads itself back in, at least emotionally, and everything comes together quite nicely.
Overall I enjoyed this book. It was a pretty quick read (if you ignore the 100+ page appendix), and an interesting take on this genre, I also liked that the ending wasn't wholly happy. Life happens and it's just life. Not all good or all bad, but worth it all the same.
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