Wow! I just finished this book yesterday evening (actually it was close to midnight because I couldn’t’ stop reading even though it was way past my sleepy time!) and I am still reeling from the beauty and emotional impact of this amazing book.
At first I didn’t know what to make of the writing style – it’s from the point of view of a twelve year old boy (at least to begin with) with a really profound and unique way of viewing the world. The sentences are all poetic and symbolic to the point that until I got my head around the style I was finding it difficult to follow what was going on.
Once I did though, I was so drawn in to the world of Eli Bell, with the absent father and drug addict mother and the big brother who had been mute since some unmentioned trauma a few years previous. They are raised by their mum’s boyfriend Lyle, who is a drug dealer, and are babysat by Slim, an ex-con famous for his many daring prison escapes, and yet Eli sees goodness and love in these people. It depicts a dangerous and in some ways hopeless childhood and yet is told with wonder and whimsy, a little magic and lots of unquenchable optimism . Apparently it is semi-autobiographical which is nice because you really want the good people to come through to better times.
I’m excited to check out the adaptation of the book that is on Netflix, and also to read more from this author.
Sarah Wray Writer 