sarafmradio 's review for:

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

---

I read this because I saw it compared to Over the Garden Wall (which of course came eight years later). I can definitely see strong similarities in structure, but it's much (MUCH) bloodier and more cynical than OTGW, so if you're drawn to the dreamy oddball sweetness of OTGW, then this isn't a good match in terms of mood/tone. It does have the same "child venturing into a surreal other world" quality, though, and plays with similar themes in terms of family and belonging.

There are some aspects I found odd, like the mostly negative portrayal of women/female characters. I chalked it up to being a result of

Spoiler

David disliking Rose

, but it doesn't quite make sense since

Spoiler

David also loves his lost mother.

I also didn't love the

Spoiler

insinuation that survivors of abuse often grow up to be "evil"

, even though it was a passing mention and not explored too deeply, and also had a magical element to it.

The ending chapters were very moving and powerful for me, though, and I'm glad I read this one, especially since I was such a fan of Grimm fairytales and the Narnia series as a kid.