I must say, peculiar is certainly the word. This book is weird, but in a kind of freaky, hair-raising, delicious way.
Jacob grew up hearing tales from his grandfather that seemed full of miracles and magic. As a small child, the boy loved the stories, but as he grew older, he began to realize that the details could not possibly be true. Despite his grandfather's bizarre and fascinating photographs, no one could do the things Grandfather Abraham described his childhood friends doing. When Abraham unexpectedly died under suspicious circumstances, Jacob had to set off on a journey to find out what, if anything, lay behind his grandfather's seemingly ridiculous but innocuous accounts.
Certain aspects of this book's plot were weak, or not sufficiently fleshed out, and I found the ending quite unsatisfying, but not that surprising. Based on the ending's structure, I'll be very surprised if this doesn't become a series of books, which hopefully will resolve any such dissatisfaction. The simple fact is, this strange and fascinating little book kept me so intrigued that I finished it very quickly. It may not be perfect, but it's an awfully good read. Be forewarned--it's a little creepy. A dark and stormy night may not be the best time to start this one. But if you like creepy, you're goint to love it.
I'm reading this book at the moment! So far it's good but not really living up to the hype that other people seem to be giving it... great review!
ReplyDeleteMegan @ Storybook Love Affair
I, too, found the ending unsatisfying. Mostly, I suspect, because it's one of those 'and look, there's room for a sequel' endings. Those are VERY hard to do well. It is a fun and creepy book, though, and I've recommended it to several friends.
ReplyDeleteSounds intriguing.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds almost exactly like the movie Big Fish. Truly one of the wierdest movies I have ever seen. I will have to track down the book.
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