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A review by beau_reads_books
The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor
5.0
“Every kid wants to find a dead body. About the only thing a 12-year-old boy wants to find more is a spaceship, buried treasure or a porn mag. We wanted to find something bad that day. And we did. I’m just not sure anyone realized how bad it would be.”
There’s a rawness to all coming of age stories: a change of mind, body, relationships, a glimpse of the future that, oftentimes, adolescents are trying to outrun. C. J. Tudor’s “The Chalk Man” encompasses all of these feelings and then turns them on their head again and again, with one horrifying twist after the other. I read into the wee hours, feeling kind of like getting on an old rickety, wooden rollercoaster and just when you think it’s close to being done, nuts and bolts falling on your head the whole time, it starts all over. Tudor weaves a very enticing tale, at the end of each and every chapter I’d yell, “Oh, come on!” check my watch, and barge on through.
I’ve read a few reviews complaining of vague explanations and plot holes. I think this book is really good at hiding evidence in subtext, which can be difficult for some more cut-and-dry readers. Complex, ultra-dark characters, grisly depictions of violence, and, in my opinion, excellent mystery writing, pull you into this story and keep you there, not releasing until the very last word, which is where I shut the book, closed my eyes, and said, “Fuck.”
5/5 I’m excited to empty her corner of the mystery shelf at the library into my tote next weekend.
There’s a rawness to all coming of age stories: a change of mind, body, relationships, a glimpse of the future that, oftentimes, adolescents are trying to outrun. C. J. Tudor’s “The Chalk Man” encompasses all of these feelings and then turns them on their head again and again, with one horrifying twist after the other. I read into the wee hours, feeling kind of like getting on an old rickety, wooden rollercoaster and just when you think it’s close to being done, nuts and bolts falling on your head the whole time, it starts all over. Tudor weaves a very enticing tale, at the end of each and every chapter I’d yell, “Oh, come on!” check my watch, and barge on through.
I’ve read a few reviews complaining of vague explanations and plot holes. I think this book is really good at hiding evidence in subtext, which can be difficult for some more cut-and-dry readers. Complex, ultra-dark characters, grisly depictions of violence, and, in my opinion, excellent mystery writing, pull you into this story and keep you there, not releasing until the very last word, which is where I shut the book, closed my eyes, and said, “Fuck.”
5/5 I’m excited to empty her corner of the mystery shelf at the library into my tote next weekend.