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A review by jeremychiasson
The Imaginary by A.F. Harrold
4.0
Oh my, what an unusual book! If you like Neil Gaiman (particularly his books like Coraline and The Graveyard Book), you'll enjoy "The Imaginary".
Right from the opening, where Amanda is dead, and her imaginary friend starts to fade away and become forgotten, I was emotionally invested in this story. And this may have been merely a kids book, but I defy you not to shudder when the sinister Mr. Bunting sucks a child's imaginary friend into his vortex of teeth.
Maybe it's because I was the sort of child who would not be persuaded that his stuffed animals were "just toys", but I found the perils faced by the imaginary friends in this book very affecting. I was more concerned for the safety of Rudger, Amanda's imaginary friend, than I was for Amanda herself!
This was a very dark, yet wonderfully heartwarming story, and it is greatly enhanced by Emily Gravett's top-notch illustrations.
Right from the opening, where Amanda is dead, and her imaginary friend starts to fade away and become forgotten, I was emotionally invested in this story. And this may have been merely a kids book, but I defy you not to shudder when the sinister Mr. Bunting sucks a child's imaginary friend into his vortex of teeth.
Maybe it's because I was the sort of child who would not be persuaded that his stuffed animals were "just toys", but I found the perils faced by the imaginary friends in this book very affecting. I was more concerned for the safety of Rudger, Amanda's imaginary friend, than I was for Amanda herself!
This was a very dark, yet wonderfully heartwarming story, and it is greatly enhanced by Emily Gravett's top-notch illustrations.