Like the fabulous Grief Is a Thing With Feathers, also by Max Porter, this book is a beautiful merging of poetry, prose, magical realism and raw human emotion. It uses the technique (which I had to google but is apparently called concrete or visual poetry) where the arrangement of words on the page is part of the overall artistry of the book. Told with snippets of lots of different voices, including a mythical persona called Dead Papa Toothwort, it introduces a very special, insightful and artistic little boy, Lanny, his parents and a family friend, local controversial artist, Mad Pete, who gives him art lessons. When Lanny goes missing, the worst and best of human nature is brought out both searching for him and blaming and pointing the finger at those closest to him. It’s a lovely thought provoking and moving book.
Sarah Wray Writer 