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tsundokued's review against another edition
5.0
I first thought this would be a light, happy read because most of the main characters were only ten years old and I thought it would be really cute. But no. It was haunting. And beautiful. And haunting. And now I'm having a serious book hangover and I simply can't concentrate while reading anything else.
Don't judge a book by its cover. And here, it really applies. This isn't what it seems like. Just read it.
Don't judge a book by its cover. And here, it really applies. This isn't what it seems like. Just read it.
margaret21's review against another edition
4.0
I haven't started reading books in Dutch. Good reads will only give me this edition when what I want is 'Bad Influence' which I've just finished and was published by Penguin in 2005. I don't know why it's so hard for them to come up with it.
Anyway. An excellent book, written as if by a 10 year old boy, having a perfectly normal life with his family and friends until Carl comes into it. Carl threatens to disrupt his best-friendship with Olly, and then simply threatens. The story becomes increasingly dark as Ben, the narrator, gets sucked into situations he dislikes but can't seem to escape from. A very clever exploration of a friendship and a warped relationship that spirals out of control.
Anyway. An excellent book, written as if by a 10 year old boy, having a perfectly normal life with his family and friends until Carl comes into it. Carl threatens to disrupt his best-friendship with Olly, and then simply threatens. The story becomes increasingly dark as Ben, the narrator, gets sucked into situations he dislikes but can't seem to escape from. A very clever exploration of a friendship and a warped relationship that spirals out of control.
antisaura's review against another edition
2.0
was wel kinda heftig boek met die kettingzaag enzo, moest voor engels, nu ook geen toptop maar wel leuk zeker dont remember much as usual
laurenbdavis's review against another edition
4.0
What are the children up to? Good lord. This brought back a number of unpleasant memories about the sort of cruelty and violence children can be capable of, as well as the terrible hunger to belong, at any costs.
Ten-year-old Ben is lonely, with his best friend Olly away for a while. He meets Carl -- older, bigger, tougher, a bit odd, and decidedly dangerous. An early scene involving a chain saw is truly terrifying, although no blood is spilled, which is a testament to the power of Sutcliffe's writing.
When Olly returns and makes friends with Carl, things begin to unravel. Violence escalates, as does the tone of menace, which is so beautifully balanced with humor (not to mention witty little drawings). The power struggle of children is agonizingly accurate and very dark indeed.
The climax of the book is truly disturbing, even if the denouement lacked a slight edge, for me. A tiny bit more insight at the end-- applied with the same masterfully indirect brush Sutcliffe uses in the rest of the book -- would have tipped it over to five stars. A quibble, though. Recommended.
Ten-year-old Ben is lonely, with his best friend Olly away for a while. He meets Carl -- older, bigger, tougher, a bit odd, and decidedly dangerous. An early scene involving a chain saw is truly terrifying, although no blood is spilled, which is a testament to the power of Sutcliffe's writing.
When Olly returns and makes friends with Carl, things begin to unravel. Violence escalates, as does the tone of menace, which is so beautifully balanced with humor (not to mention witty little drawings). The power struggle of children is agonizingly accurate and very dark indeed.
The climax of the book is truly disturbing, even if the denouement lacked a slight edge, for me. A tiny bit more insight at the end-- applied with the same masterfully indirect brush Sutcliffe uses in the rest of the book -- would have tipped it over to five stars. A quibble, though. Recommended.
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