'An Ingenious Piece of Work'
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THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS
By John Connolly
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (Atria)
ISBN-10: 0-7432-9885-3 |
"For in every adult dwells the child that was,
and in every child lies the adult that will be."
Reviewed by Sharon Greer
A strange and complex tale of loss, anger and grief unfolds in John Connolly's latest novel, The Book of Lost Things. Devastated by the death of his mother, 12-year old David feels completely isolated in his world, despite the recent remarriage of his father.
A web of sorrow engulfs him as he retreats into his imagination, losing himself between reality and fantasy.
The boy slowly begins to seek solace in the books on the shelves in the bedroom of his new home. When these books begin to whisper and talk to him, he begins a journey of unparalleled horror.
Plunging into the depths of David's despair the reader enters a very dark, disconcerting world inhabited by wolves, trolls, all manner of beasts and other nasty creatures pursuing him at breakneck speed.
David's encounters with two individuals, The Woodsman and the Soldier enable him to survive this gloomy world. At every turn, David hears his mother's voice beckoning him, urging him to come to her. And behind every shadow, every murky corner awaits the Crooked Man, an allegorical representation of David's anguished mental and emotional state.
This terrifying land is ruled by a dying king who keeps a grisly secret locked away in a mysterious book. Filled with potent legends this formidable narrative draws you in right from the beginning.
The underlying sadness throughout the story is painfully palpable. It exposes the unfathomable range of emotions one must experience with the finality of death. And it is ultimately an account of the boy's immense struggle to overcome the loss of his mother in order to come to a place of hope and redemption.
The author has successfully managed to weave fairy tales into this tragic but brilliantly original saga. It is an ingenious piece of work.
John Connolly is best known for his crime fiction and is a gifted storyteller with an intense and compelling writing style. He is a regular contributor to The Irish Times. Born in Dublin he divides his time between Ireland and the United States.
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