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jillyfay's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to like this book, and there’s a lot I did. But....the kid had Synesthesia, was in the autism spectrum; AND had face blindness. So the synesthesia compensated to a degree for his face blindness, i get that. But, then the kid doesn’t understand idioms or sarcasm, yet says things that are sarcastic or metaphors. That’s not usually how it works. (I am an educational therapist and work with kids who have special needs). If you want to read an amazing book about synesthesia, then read A Mango Shaped Space. If you want to read a book about a kid it’s autism spectrum disorder and it’s a murder mystery, read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime. If you want to read an okay book sort of about both of these things combined, then read this.
hollyjh's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve always been intrigued by the concept of synesthesia and using it as a form of communication for someone who struggles with traditional forms was, I think, really clever and genuine. That was my favourite part of the book. The who dunnit aspect was a little bit long and contrived but I so enjoyed seeing the world through Jasper’s interpretation of sounds
unwound_reader's review against another edition
5.0
4.5
This book took me a VERY long time to read because of the writing style but it was worth it. This book was so interesting and not at all what I expected. Loses a half a point for the stereotyping throughout and sympathizing with an abuser at the end of the book.
Representation: Autism, face blindness, synesthesia.
Quality of representation: the autism representation was fairly good especially considering the author is not autistic herself. It’s a bit stereotypical (white, male, child, savant) and was very infantilized at moments but it wasn’t over bearing. ((I cannot speak to the quality of the synesthesia or face blindness representation))
Trigger warnings: murder, violence, death of a parent, ableism, bullying, CSA, pedophilia, abuse, gore, etc.
This book took me a VERY long time to read because of the writing style but it was worth it. This book was so interesting and not at all what I expected. Loses a half a point for the stereotyping throughout and sympathizing with an abuser at the end of the book.
Representation: Autism, face blindness, synesthesia.
Quality of representation: the autism representation was fairly good especially considering the author is not autistic herself. It’s a bit stereotypical (white, male, child, savant) and was very infantilized at moments but it wasn’t over bearing. ((I cannot speak to the quality of the synesthesia or face blindness representation))
Trigger warnings: murder, violence, death of a parent, ableism, bullying, CSA, pedophilia, abuse, gore, etc.
totallytales's review against another edition
5.0
Jasper is an extraordinary boy. His neighbour has been murdered, he know's because he did it... didn't he? he remembers a knife and blood but he can't remember what actually happened. He is determined to remember but it's not as simple as it sounds because he sees sounds as colour (synaesthesia) and he can't recognise faces (prosopagnosia).
This novel is a fascinating insight into a seeing world of technicolour is a wonderment, Jasper identifies everything from peoples voices, ticking clocks and days of the week in colour. Harris' incredible descriptions of this really bring it to life for the reader; among my favourites are 'marmalade orange with pithy yellow spikes' for the sound of a car engine being turned on. I was turning pages long into the night trying to figure out the clues and they were gradually revealed by Jasper himself or to him by his dad, the neighbours and the police. There were a few twists I didn't see coming and the ending is perfect. This is a debut not to be missed, reminiscent of Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time If you are looking for something original, intriguing and colourful - this is perfect for you!
This novel is a fascinating insight into a seeing world of technicolour is a wonderment, Jasper identifies everything from peoples voices, ticking clocks and days of the week in colour. Harris' incredible descriptions of this really bring it to life for the reader; among my favourites are 'marmalade orange with pithy yellow spikes' for the sound of a car engine being turned on. I was turning pages long into the night trying to figure out the clues and they were gradually revealed by Jasper himself or to him by his dad, the neighbours and the police. There were a few twists I didn't see coming and the ending is perfect. This is a debut not to be missed, reminiscent of Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time If you are looking for something original, intriguing and colourful - this is perfect for you!
hannahmayreads's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
A fascinating story with an unusual narrative structure, not just because of Jasper’s autism or synaesthesia. It was almost as if the plot had been deconstructed, which sounds terrible but it really works to put the reader in Jasper’s perspective. This is how he interacts with the world and it could be frustrating for some readers but I liked the challenge of it.
It did start to lose me a little in the middle. It became repetitive and bogged down, and so the story wasn’t able to continue developing at the pace it began with. It was taking a little too long to get to the point and I found myself easily distracted, whereas I was completely absorbed in the beginning.
It did start to lose me a little in the middle. It became repetitive and bogged down, and so the story wasn’t able to continue developing at the pace it began with. It was taking a little too long to get to the point and I found myself easily distracted, whereas I was completely absorbed in the beginning.
newandhorrible's review against another edition
5.0
I finished this book and actually said "WOW" out loud, to no one in particular in my empty apartment.
This one captivated me from the start. The descriptions of how Jasper perceived people's voice colors, and the descriptions of his paintings was so beautiful. And this quote about Bee left me speechless: "She was good and bad and thousands of shades in between." Because aren't we all?
This one kept me guessing until nearly the end, and even when I was CERTAIN I had it figured out, it tricked me again.
This one captivated me from the start. The descriptions of how Jasper perceived people's voice colors, and the descriptions of his paintings was so beautiful. And this quote about Bee left me speechless: "She was good and bad and thousands of shades in between." Because aren't we all?
This one kept me guessing until nearly the end, and even when I was CERTAIN I had it figured out, it tricked me again.
meganeveritt's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
anniekanthea's review against another edition
5.0
Een wat rustige start, maar daarna positief verrast!
ruthie_the_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
This is an interesting mishmash of autistic boy/synaesthesia/murder mystery genres. I can see that some readers might find Jasper's character too frustrating (there's an awful lot about the parakeets!) but I though the portrayal was good, though he occasionally seemed a bit younger than he was supposed to be. The synaesthesia aspect was very interesting, and it was also interesting to think about what it must be like to have face blindness (or live with someone who does).
I liked the murder mystery side of things, and I was kept guessing on what happened so that's always a plus point for me.
On the downside, I found the conclusion ran too slowly for my liking. I understood why Jasper was only slowly piecing together the evidence, but it just dragged on too long. I also found the time shifts very confusing. I felt like I needed a little calendar in front of me to figure out which bit of time I was reading about now - this did add to the confusing feel of the murder, but I would have preferred a more linear approach, or at least a clearer delineation of what was happening when without the need to try and remember days.
Overall though I enjoyed reading this.
With thanks to NetGalley for the copy in return for an honest review.
I liked the murder mystery side of things, and I was kept guessing on what happened so that's always a plus point for me.
On the downside, I found the conclusion ran too slowly for my liking. I understood why Jasper was only slowly piecing together the evidence, but it just dragged on too long. I also found the time shifts very confusing. I felt like I needed a little calendar in front of me to figure out which bit of time I was reading about now - this did add to the confusing feel of the murder, but I would have preferred a more linear approach, or at least a clearer delineation of what was happening when without the need to try and remember days.
Overall though I enjoyed reading this.
With thanks to NetGalley for the copy in return for an honest review.
betweenthe_pages's review against another edition
5.0
What an unbelievably unique and beautiful book. It deals with such a unique condition that I've never seen represented in a book character before and the story itself is so fascinating. I read it in less than 24 hours because it hooked me so much, and the writing style was perfect. I loved this book so much!