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jlaney's review against another edition
2.0
I had just lost a parent right before starting to read this so it was a rough read but I stuck in there to see how everything turned out but while it's probably pretty obvious what will happen with him once he's discovered, it's disappointing that there wasn't more resolution to the story so if you need closure, maybe don't read this book because there is none.
bzm0023's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
4.0
Super interesting concept. Loved the length, and how for a lack of a better word ~human~ the boy was. I was definitely not expecting the ending.
tpanik's review against another edition
4.0
If ROOM and THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF A DOG... Had a baby, it would be this book. Haunting and unique.
elesamarie's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the book as far as it went but didn't love where it chose to end.
writesofluid's review against another edition
4.0
A young boy continues with his everyday life, masking the fact that his mother is dead in a bid to prevent being sent to a horrible orphanage.
Mesmerising read. Hard to get into the swing of at first, Luca's observations soon make a captivating read; a mixture of imaginative and wise ramblings that he uses to control his feelings and as a distraction from the ever-obvious fact that his mother is dead.
The dramatic question of how this will be discovered makes this novel a page-turner. The ending, though abrupt, seems apt as we witness the last few moments of Luca's deceit and how he chooses to finally deal with it.
Full review to appear here soon.
Mesmerising read. Hard to get into the swing of at first, Luca's observations soon make a captivating read; a mixture of imaginative and wise ramblings that he uses to control his feelings and as a distraction from the ever-obvious fact that his mother is dead.
The dramatic question of how this will be discovered makes this novel a page-turner. The ending, though abrupt, seems apt as we witness the last few moments of Luca's deceit and how he chooses to finally deal with it.
Full review to appear here soon.
mdabernig's review against another edition
3.0
This is a bleak book, about a 10 year old boy who wakes up one morning to find his mother dead and his refusal to be a 'real orphan' and the lengths he goes to in order to keep anyone from finding out.
Luca is maybe a bit too intelligent for ten, but his random musings, his thought process, his reasoning all screams that he really is just a little boy who doesn't understand why things happen, and thinks that closing a door and opening windows can keep anyone from finding out. He's an easy kid to like and it's quite depressing watching him deal with that while trying to keep anyone from finding out. You really get a sense of his pain and his fear at times.
It's a short book, and I know some people didn't like the ending, but I liked that it was open ended. I didn't want to see reality hit him - I like to think that his reality would be better than he imagined, but I don't want to know in case it isn't. He's dealt with enough.
Luca is maybe a bit too intelligent for ten, but his random musings, his thought process, his reasoning all screams that he really is just a little boy who doesn't understand why things happen, and thinks that closing a door and opening windows can keep anyone from finding out. He's an easy kid to like and it's quite depressing watching him deal with that while trying to keep anyone from finding out. You really get a sense of his pain and his fear at times.
It's a short book, and I know some people didn't like the ending, but I liked that it was open ended. I didn't want to see reality hit him - I like to think that his reality would be better than he imagined, but I don't want to know in case it isn't. He's dealt with enough.
magicschooltokoro's review against another edition
3.0
Charming processing of events and being autonomous from the imaginative perspective of a boy. "I wouldn't kill an animal again. I did it when I was little and didn't know what I was doing. I did it to lizards, and even now I ask them to forgive me. Maybe everything that is happening to me is the revenge of a lizard that died for no reason, just because of a bad kid."
jdscott50's review against another edition
4.0
Marina Mander’s short novel is an exploration of how adult-like a ten year old can be. Luca is a half-orphan. He lives with his mother while his father has, “disappeared into the void”. Luca is immature, but he is more than his mother gives him credit. However, the real test of his adulthood happens when he wakes up one morning for school, but his mother doesn’t. Luca is desperate not to end up in an orphanage. We travel back and forth in time and explore Luca’s life before and after all from his perspective. Meanwhile, he goes to school, gets the groceries he needs, all while bearing this heavy burden, this big secret.
Most of the story feels like Emma Donoghue’s Room without the second half of the story. I actually didn’t like the second half of Room as it became too much a Lifetime movie of the week. Mander is able to inhabit the mind of a ten year old. He is more mature than adults would allow, but far more immature than he would admit. Others have explored this idea; Lord of the Flies comes to mind, as does The Cement Garden, but Mander makes the story realistic. The narrative is tight and claustrophobic, almost like a horror movie. While the reader can feel the horror grip them, the young boy creates fantastical tales that help him cope. The book feels like half a story though. It’s an arrow shot into the air we never see come down.
Most of the story feels like Emma Donoghue’s Room without the second half of the story. I actually didn’t like the second half of Room as it became too much a Lifetime movie of the week. Mander is able to inhabit the mind of a ten year old. He is more mature than adults would allow, but far more immature than he would admit. Others have explored this idea; Lord of the Flies comes to mind, as does The Cement Garden, but Mander makes the story realistic. The narrative is tight and claustrophobic, almost like a horror movie. While the reader can feel the horror grip them, the young boy creates fantastical tales that help him cope. The book feels like half a story though. It’s an arrow shot into the air we never see come down.