John Connolly
The Book of Lost Things (2006)
Author: John Connolly
Genre: Fantasy (Dark Tone)
Plot Summary:
After 12-year-old David’s mother dies, his life is further disrupted when his father quickly remarries and has a son with his new wife. Angry at all the changes and resentful of his stepmother and half-brother, David spends his summer vacation holed up in his room reading books. Strange things suddenly start happening: he faints and finds himself glimpsing another world while he’s unconscious, he can hear books talking, and a man appears both in his dreams and outside his window. When he hears a voice like his mother’s calling to him, he follows it through a crack in the garden wall, only to find himself transported to a strange world from which he cannot escape. He hears that the king and his mysterious book might be able to help him, so he begins a long and dangerous trip to reach the king. On his journey he encounters strange beings from fairy tales and mythology, including Snow White, dwarves, trolls, harpies and others. SPOILER: The king turns out to be David’s stepmother’s long-lost uncle who disappeared as a child. Now ready to give up the throne, he needs someone to take over and wants David to do it. Though unhappy with his home life, David realizes he still wants to return to his family. He refuses and is forced to battle the king and his supporters. He wins and manages to return home.
Geographical Setting: London, England and an unnamed town 50 miles northwest
Time Period: 1939
Appeal Characteristics:
The main character, David, is well drawn; the reader gets to fully understand his motivations, feelings and internal struggle. David also encounters many intriguing secondary characters throughout the book; though each appears only briefly the reader gets to see a vivid glimpse of their lives as well. The storyline is plot centered, with most of the focus on David’s story and how he will get home, but Connolly also takes time to explore the stories of many of the characters David encounters. The pace is unhurried: the plot and characters are slowly revealed and it is over time that the reader comes to fully understand both. The tone is dark and has a nightmarish quality. Many of the creatures David encounters are evil and mean him harm, and there are a number of grisly deaths. The writing style is elegant and works well with the fantasy aspect of the book. Connolly provides descriptive passages about the characters and their world and the reader can clearly imagine what they are like.
Read-alikes: Dark in tone and with similar storyline elements, Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman follows Richard as he gets drawn into an alternate world, only to find out he no longer exists in his own. Readers who enjoyed the fairy tale aspect of this title might also like Mirror, Mirror by Gregory Maguire. It is a retelling of Snow White set in 16th century Italy, with a dark tone and rich writing style. Another retelling of Snow White that might be of interest is White as Snow by Tanith Lee. This title is a dark fantasy with strong characterization that focuses on the evil queen and her story. Mercedes Lackey’s Phoenix and Ashes is a retelling of Cinderella, set in England during World War II. It has well developed characters and is plot-centered like The Book of Lost Things, although those readers who most enjoyed Connolly’s writing style might not be interested in Lackey’s less elegant style. Though written for young adults, adults might also like C.S. Lewis’s The Magician’s Nephew, part of the Narnia series. It follows two children who find their way to another world, where the lion Aslan is creating the land of Narnia. It shares an elegant writing style and storyline similarities with The Book of Lost Things.
Red Flags: Several violent deaths
|top|
|
