By Vera Brosgol
2011
Available now from Islington Libraries
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It's feels like maybe I've been a little bit too judgmental of all the books I've reviewed on here recently (not my fault - people should try making better books): so it's nice to be able to say - Yes. Cool. Read this - because you know what? It's really really really good (wow - check me out - I'm like Homer Simpson after reading the Reader's Digest).
Flicking through the reviews online everyone seems to have a pretty blathering mouth and free and loose approach to giving away the entire story ("Let's just say that Darth Vader may not be as unrelated to Luke Skywalker as he first appears to be") so just in case you haven't already figured this little life-lesson out already - avoid reading any reviews before you start reading this. All you need to know is that everyone from Neil Gaiman to Scott McCloud agrees that this is something special: in fact Mr Gaiman even calls it "A masterpiece" - and this is the guy who wrote frigging The Sandman so he knows what he's talking about... [1]
With an expert understanding of friendship, adolescence and the ins-and-outs of high school dynamics as well as all your paranormal ghostly basics: this hits the hitherto unknown sweet spot between John Hughes and Tim Burton. (I guess it also helps for this Scott Pilgrim fanboy that Vera Brosgol draws girls just like Bryan Lee O'Malley). There's very little that beats a great story told just right.
Very much recommended.
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[1] If I was being my more typically cynical self I would wonder aloud if Mr Gaiman's aproval had anything to do with Vera Brosgol having worked as a storyboard artist on the Coraline film. But - damn it - it's such a great little book that I won't even mention it - so there.
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Further reading: Coraline, Locke and Key, Mercury, American Born Chinese, I Kill Giants, Scott Pilgrim.
All comments welcome.
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