Book Review: The Graveyard Book

Book Blurb: "When a baby escapes a murderer intent on killing the entire family, who would have thought it would find safety and security in the local graveyard? Brought up by the resident ghosts, ghouls and spectres, Bod has an eccentric childhood learning about life from the dead. But for Bod there is also the danger of the murderer still looking for him - after all, he is the last remaining member of the family. A stunningly original novel deftly constructed over eight chapters, featuring every second year of Bod's life, from babyhood to adolescence. Will Bod survive to be a man?"

Review: Some children get raised by a whole village (or so the saying goes), this one gets raised by a whole graveyard. Despite the fact that it starts off with a triple murder (which includes a child), this book is ultimately incredibly sweet and moving.

The characters are all very well developed, and I really felt for all of them. I also appreciated the fact that Bod (the main character) is far from perfect. He has flaws and he has moments when he messes up, yet these serve to show the strength of family ties. It also highlights the fact that family is not necessarily made up of those people bound to us by blood, but by those who have chosen to love us and support us unconditionally, and whom we have chosen to love and support in return.

This novel is as much about belonging, acceptance, forgiveness, fighting for what you believe in and protecting the things and the people you hold dear, as it is about loss and the unexpected things life can throw at you. And that is something everyone (whether alive or dead!!!) can relate to.

The 'ivy-covered marvel' that is Highgate Cemetery West, which partly inspired parts of the book.

Photo credit:Paul Grover/ Rex Features

Favourite quotes:

"'It is going to take more than just a couple of good-hearted souls to raise this child. It will,' said Silas, 'take a graveyard.'"

"'It must be good,' said Silas, 'to have somewhere where you belong. Somewhere that's home.'"

"If you dare nothing, then when the day is over, nothing is all you will have gained."

Overall score: 5/5

Book Review: Holes

Book Blurb: "Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys' detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the warden makes the boys "build character" by spending all day, every day, digging holes: five feet wide and five feet deep. It doesn't take long for Stanley to realize there's more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment—and redemption."

Review: I found this book somewhat slow going at first, but I didn't really mind because (given the huge list of awards it's won) I knew some good stuff was coming my way

In all fairness though, I probably would have kept on reading regardless, purely because the entire hole-digging as character-building thing seemed way to simple. It's such a bizarre premise that you can't help but keep reading because, surely, that can't be it. As in fact it isn't. There's no way of going into much more detail without somehow spoiling the story, but suffice to say that the novel is really about two stories that happen 110 years apart, that seem completely disconnected to begin with, but which the author eventually intertwines in a very clever way. Once it gets going, the book has more twists than a pretzel and I found it very hard to put down! The characters are lovable but no Mary Sues. The all have their very obvious faults and shortcomings, but I think that is what makes them believable and keeps the reader cheering them on. 

As the blurb says, it is a story about crime, punishment, and redemption. But also very much so about friendship. It shows the importance of belonging, of being accepted, of standing up for what (and whom) you believe in without ever being preachy or shoving any kind of morals down your throat, which is particularly admirable in a children's/YA book.   

My very favourite part though, was this: somewhere in the middle of the book, comes the telling of a love story as beautiful and touching (and tragic) as any of the best classic romances. Kissin' Kate Barlow and Sam will now be joining my mental list of Epic Fictional Couples. That Sachar can tell it in merely two short chapters, and still make it have the capacity to deeply touch the reader, is a testament to his talents as a writer.All in all, this was a fantastic read and is going straight on my 'Children's/YA Favourites' list. Highly recommended, even if you are and 'A' who's no longer quite that 'Y'. :)

Favourite Quotes:
"His muscles and hands weren't the only parts of his body that had toughened over the past several weeks. His heart had hardened as well." - Absolutely heartbreaking. 

Overall rating:  5/5

Book Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I'd heard of this book when it first got published, however I never got around to reading it, and as time went on (and I slipped increasingly farther away from the target audience), it kind of slipped of my radar completely.  But now there's a film out, which I'd quite like to see.

Here's the trailer...

Since one of my personal rules is to always read the book before watching the film, I finally got round to reading it. It's a short book and an easy read which (as I am currently on holiday) I finished in a day.
Ever since, there's been a battle going on in my mind. I'm still trying to make a firm and final decision regarding how I feel about this book. Right after I finished it I thought it was absolutely fantastic, and found myself wishing I had read it as a teenager as opposed to as a 31-year-old. I felt sure I would have loved it and totally related, much more so than The Catcher in the Rye, whose hype and universal popularity I never quite got (but that's for another review). However, as time went on and I thought about the book, I realised there were certain things that were a bit off for me.

Our protagonist is Charlie, a 15-year-old who is the wallflower of the title. The story is told in epistolary form via letters to his Dear Friend, whose identity is never revealed or even hinted at. One of the things I really enjoyed about this book is Charlie's narrative voice. The book covers a year of Charlies's life, namely his freshman year of High School, and his journey as he comes out of his shell and makes friends with Patrick and Sam, who are seniors but who nevertheless welcome him as a friend. He goes through all the rites of passage YA books usually depict; first love, parties, family issues etc.

First, let me share what I liked. I think Chbosky managed to beautifully capture the voice of an introverted, naive, but ultimately golden-hearted yet troubled teen. I found it easy to sympathise with Charlie as he seems so very understanding when circumstances and events around him are not particularly favourable. I also liked the portrayal of his teacher, Brian, who encourages his love of books and reading. We should all be so lucky to have a Brian in our lives as students! I was one of the lucky ones- thanks Mr. Hubbuck & Mr. Livingstone! :)

However, the tug-of-war in my brain was caused by the  sheer amount of 'issues' in this novel. Charlie is painfully naive, even for a sheltered teenager. At a point I thought he might be autistic. At the very end of the book there's a revelation which might go some way towards explaining why Charlie is like he is. Yet after hearing about loneliness, not fitting in, depression and other mental health issues,  suicide, closeted homosexuality, drug use, abortion, implied sexual harassment, domestic abuse, etc., it began to feel a bit like the author had compiled a check-list of issues that might be faced by a teenager and went checking them off one by one. Yes, obviously these things happen in real life and as such should be written about.  I also acknowledge that many people are dealt the most awful possible cards in life and deal with all this and maybe even worse. My issue is that many of these things seemed to be mentioned in passing and never really addressed in enough depth.

On another completely separate issue, I then thought about the person receiving the letters. How fair is it to burden someone with such an intimate account of one's problems when they have not asked for it?

Nevertheless, I'm glad I read this book. Although I probably won't be rereading it, I can see why it's so popular with young adults. It also provides an excellent starting platform to debate a variety of issues, which is always a plus.

Favourite quotes:
"... things change.  And friends leave.  And life doesn't stop for anybody." - sad, yet so true.

"I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons.  And maybe we'll never know most of them.  But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there."