A review by bookhero6
Phantom by Susan Kay

5.0

Rereading after 18 years. The best parts of this are the ones leading up to the Opera. The backstory is rich and inspired and answers a lot of why questions. Denied love, who could help but be a monster?

Erik the child, Erik the young man, Erik the genius, is a likable character, despite everything. Kay creates a sympathetic character, by surrounding him with likable characters who display, sometimes, the better parts of human nature.

When I read this as a child, I strove for the love story, the so-called exciting part. As an adult, it is the origin story that most delights me, and where this book earns its 5 stars. It is such a setup for dismal depressingness that the happy ending comes as a surprise. Christine I found a little lacking but Erik and Raoul were fairly magnificent.

Even after all these years, I am still entranced by the Phantom of the Opera. Shh don't tell: I may have also listened to parts of the Lloyd Webber musical while reading this.