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storystork 's review for:
The Ability
by M.M. Vaughan
adventurous
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Would have loved this when I was 12 but...
As an adult I enjoyed this book, although I've read this type of story numerous times before. While it's certainly not Harry Potter, it was still a fun read, with realistic characters and their flaws and struggles. Although we didn't get to know many of the main characters well enough. The big showdown at the end felt very rushed compared to the rest.
Now, in my opinion the situation between the main character and his mum was very poorly handled. Chris (12) lost his father as a small child and since then his mother neglects him physically and mentally. The house is completely run down and Chris has to take care of his mum by cleaning and cooking for her and fixing stuff around the house since everything is filthy and his mother never ever leaves the house. She doesn't care about him but Chris always cares for her and feels a big responsibility to be there for her. At one point she tells him that she loves him and everything will be different from now on. Only to crush him completely at the end of the book once he comes home and finds her in the same state he left her, telling him she doesn't need him anymore. This is where to book ends.
I really didn't like how this was executed, especially because other adults either treated Chris just as bad or promised they would help him and then all they did was to decorate his mum's house for Christmas to cover up the mess. No authority figures intervened in Chris's life to help him and no one really seemed to care.
Maybe a realistic situation but teaching children that their cry for help won't be heard certainly doesn't help.
As an adult I enjoyed this book, although I've read this type of story numerous times before. While it's certainly not Harry Potter, it was still a fun read, with realistic characters and their flaws and struggles. Although we didn't get to know many of the main characters well enough. The big showdown at the end felt very rushed compared to the rest.
Now, in my opinion the situation between the main character and his mum was very poorly handled. Chris (12) lost his father as a small child and since then his mother neglects him physically and mentally. The house is completely run down and Chris has to take care of his mum by cleaning and cooking for her and fixing stuff around the house since everything is filthy and his mother never ever leaves the house. She doesn't care about him but Chris always cares for her and feels a big responsibility to be there for her. At one point she tells him that she loves him and everything will be different from now on. Only to crush him completely at the end of the book once he comes home and finds her in the same state he left her, telling him she doesn't need him anymore. This is where to book ends.
I really didn't like how this was executed, especially because other adults either treated Chris just as bad or promised they would help him and then all they did was to decorate his mum's house for Christmas to cover up the mess. No authority figures intervened in Chris's life to help him and no one really seemed to care.
Maybe a realistic situation but teaching children that their cry for help won't be heard certainly doesn't help.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Abandonment
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, Blood, Death of parent, Murder
Minor: Bullying, Violence, Kidnapping
The content warnings are all very minor or non-existing for adults (except the abondenment) but perhaps relevant for children/parents.
Recommended reading age: 11+