A review by librarybonanza
Far Far Away by Tom McNeal

5.0

Age: High School-Adult

Daaaaaaaaamn. Why are there so many good books out there? Well, now I can check this fabulous novel off the list. I was ridiculously intrigued by the elements of this story: a boy that can talk to ghosts, a boy that can talk to Jacob Grimm's ghost (!!!), Jacob being stuck in an in between world trying to discover his unfinished business, his "unknown yet unmet desire," the growing friendship between a quiet boy and a curious girl. Such unique and intriguing plot lines that are a blend of fantasy and realism. Fantasy is obviously present in the ghost's story but is fantasy in the boy's story? Is that pastry really a magical love potion? Why can he hear ghosts?

Spoiler

This last one is never really explained, but the lack of explanation had no effect on me because the story was so gripping and the ending was SO GOOD and very distracting

Like The Book Thief, the dead narrator offers an excellent third person omniscient narrator to the story, while maintaining his own interesting storyline of discovering why he is stuck in between worlds. The first 200 pages of the book are very story and character based (like like!) and the last 100 pages turn into a mystery thriller which is pretty balla (triple like!).

Spoiler

I wasn't sure exactly what the baker's fantastical connection was. Sure, he was a demented serial killer, but why did he claim that kidnapping and torturing Jeremy was destined to happen, that Jeremy was "destined to visit me here in the great chamber, and I knew that it was important, but I did not know why[...]Here in front of our friends, we will match our...talents and see...how it all will end" (311). I thought that he was going to have a more fantastical connection to demons and he would communicate with Jacob's ghost, but apparently he had just heard about ghosts in Sweden and that was that.

Ima suggest this to ALL my friends!