4/5 stars
Blurb:
It's the summer holidays. And suddenly there's a strange boy at the bottom of Flynn's garden. Soon, she and her wayward brother Sam are walking out of the house in the middle of a hot summer's night and crossing four fields to find him again. But as well as the boy, Flynn and Sam find a whole gang of runaway kids.
There's Diana, who's just had a baby. There's Mouse, who's only five and likes to set fire to things. And there is the boy himself, who stirs up feelings in Flynn that she's never felt before.But there's also someone else - the unspeakably malign and terrifying presence they're all running from. Escaping him, they stumble on an amazing and extraordinary house by a waterfall, a house which seems to offer safety and meets their every desire and need - or does it?
The youngest character in the novel is one day old, and the oldest only seventeen. But the themes that lie at the heart of this ferociously original story are as adult, unsettling and universal as those of Julie Myerson's other novels.
Review:
I literally have NO IDEA what just happened or what I just read. I don't really fully understand, though I will say it was an entertaining read. The layout of the book was strange; the way the speech wasn't set apart from the rest of the text, no speech marks at all. Still, it was easy enough to navigate.
I really do feel conflicted by the book as a whole because I feel like maybe I know what was happening but also I haven't a clue. I feel like I'm left wondering what really happened and what didn't, and I don't like being left with questions or uncertainty.
In saying that, I found myself enjoying the story, invested in all of the characters and enthralled by their weird and wonderful ways. I'm glad I read it, though slightly confused and ready for the next book, because it will annoy me to ruminate!
Review:
I literally have NO IDEA what just happened or what I just read. I don't really fully understand, though I will say it was an entertaining read. The layout of the book was strange; the way the speech wasn't set apart from the rest of the text, no speech marks at all. Still, it was easy enough to navigate.
I really do feel conflicted by the book as a whole because I feel like maybe I know what was happening but also I haven't a clue. I feel like I'm left wondering what really happened and what didn't, and I don't like being left with questions or uncertainty.
In saying that, I found myself enjoying the story, invested in all of the characters and enthralled by their weird and wonderful ways. I'm glad I read it, though slightly confused and ready for the next book, because it will annoy me to ruminate!
