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A review by owls_rainbow
Thornhill by Pam Smy
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
I picked this up in a charity shop ages ago because on a flip through it looked interesting. On the contrary it was a serious letdown.
Part graphic novel set in 2017 following a girl named Ella whose mum has died and her dad is a barely there workaholic. They've moved house - presumably after the mother's death - and their new house backs onto the grounds of the derelict Thornhill Children's Home. I've guessed all this just from the images because the graphic sections have no words.
The other part is the diary of Mary Baines, a resident of Thornhill in 1982. She has Selective Mutism, is obsessed with making puppets and has an unnamed tormenter in one of her fellow girls.
The lack of details really frustrated me. We don't know anything, we don't really learn anything, nothing is properly resolved. I also wasn't a huge fan of the art style, everything was very dark, and the human's limbs seemed too long.
Part graphic novel set in 2017 following a girl named Ella whose mum has died and her dad is a barely there workaholic. They've moved house - presumably after the mother's death - and their new house backs onto the grounds of the derelict Thornhill Children's Home. I've guessed all this just from the images because the graphic sections have no words.
The other part is the diary of Mary Baines, a resident of Thornhill in 1982. She has Selective Mutism, is obsessed with making puppets and has an unnamed tormenter in one of her fellow girls.
The lack of details really frustrated me. We don't know anything, we don't really learn anything, nothing is properly resolved. I also wasn't a huge fan of the art style, everything was very dark, and the human's limbs seemed too long.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Minor: Suicide