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A review by posies23
The House with a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs
5.0
TRUE CONFESSIONS: In 1979, I watched an adaptation of this novel in an afterschool special featuring Vincent Price. It was one of those life-changing experiences that sent me in search of the weird literature and films that I've loved ever since.
TRUE CONFESSIONS PART TWO: While I want to believe that I've read this book before, considering the formative effect the special had on my psyche,after reading it as an adult, I don't think I ever did read it. Or if I did, I didn't remember much of it.
SO . . . WHAT'S YOUR POINT?: Either way, this book was even better than I expected. It's genuinely eerie, and it would make a great book for literary study. Actually, if I were still an academic, I'd write a paper on how this book set the structure for what we now consider YA literature. It's a brilliant combination of childhood fears, gothic underpinnings, and humor. Impressively, Bellairs really makes it look easy. His writing is sharp, his imagery is memorable, and his characters are quirky but endearing.
Highly recommended.
TRUE CONFESSIONS PART TWO: While I want to believe that I've read this book before, considering the formative effect the special had on my psyche,after reading it as an adult, I don't think I ever did read it. Or if I did, I didn't remember much of it.
SO . . . WHAT'S YOUR POINT?: Either way, this book was even better than I expected. It's genuinely eerie, and it would make a great book for literary study. Actually, if I were still an academic, I'd write a paper on how this book set the structure for what we now consider YA literature. It's a brilliant combination of childhood fears, gothic underpinnings, and humor. Impressively, Bellairs really makes it look easy. His writing is sharp, his imagery is memorable, and his characters are quirky but endearing.
Highly recommended.