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A review by bmg20
The Boy Who Drew Monsters by Keith Donohue
3.0
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
“In the dream house, the boy listened for the monster under his bed.”
Jack Peter hasn’t been the same since he almost drowned when he was seven-years-old. Becoming terrified of the world outside, he’s become something of a recluse for the past three years and his parents, and even doctors, have been struggling to find a reason. When the terrifying things that Jack claims to see become visible to his parents, they begin to think they’re going insane rather than realizing that maybe what their son has been saying isn’t exactly a lie. Is there something supernatural astir or is everyone, in fact, going insane?
The slow, subtle build leaves the reader in a constant state of anxiety, unable to differentiate between reality and madness. While not exactly terrifying, despite the depictions of a pale white creature which roams the lands around their home and of the babies that defy gravity by crawling across the walls, this story still manages to leave a slight restlessness in its implications. A comparison to A Turn of the Screw is expected, what with the creepy children and of the general gothic-like atmosphere of panic and terror. Donohue applies an inspirational twist to this tale by granting power behind the monsters to a child. What would cause a child to want to create terrifying monsters in reality? Does he have the power to control their actions or only their existence? And does their existence serve a purpose?
One aspect that could have been dealt with better were the adults. Their continued ignorance of the wrongness of the occurrences is typical yet tiresome. Failing to believe in their young sons seemingly fictitious stories is one thing but it’s a problem when you’re seeing said stories with your own eyes and are still acting oblivious. I would have preferred this story told entirely from the point of view of the children, since their perspective of what was happening left you feeling like a child once again, terrified of the monster under the bed.
Not terrifying, yet still memorable. Donohue impressed me with his prose and capability of maintaining a mysterious edginess. I will definitely be seeking out his earlier works.
I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
“In the dream house, the boy listened for the monster under his bed.”
Jack Peter hasn’t been the same since he almost drowned when he was seven-years-old. Becoming terrified of the world outside, he’s become something of a recluse for the past three years and his parents, and even doctors, have been struggling to find a reason. When the terrifying things that Jack claims to see become visible to his parents, they begin to think they’re going insane rather than realizing that maybe what their son has been saying isn’t exactly a lie. Is there something supernatural astir or is everyone, in fact, going insane?
The slow, subtle build leaves the reader in a constant state of anxiety, unable to differentiate between reality and madness. While not exactly terrifying, despite the depictions of a pale white creature which roams the lands around their home and of the babies that defy gravity by crawling across the walls, this story still manages to leave a slight restlessness in its implications. A comparison to A Turn of the Screw is expected, what with the creepy children and of the general gothic-like atmosphere of panic and terror. Donohue applies an inspirational twist to this tale by granting power behind the monsters to a child. What would cause a child to want to create terrifying monsters in reality? Does he have the power to control their actions or only their existence? And does their existence serve a purpose?
One aspect that could have been dealt with better were the adults. Their continued ignorance of the wrongness of the occurrences is typical yet tiresome. Failing to believe in their young sons seemingly fictitious stories is one thing but it’s a problem when you’re seeing said stories with your own eyes and are still acting oblivious. I would have preferred this story told entirely from the point of view of the children, since their perspective of what was happening left you feeling like a child once again, terrified of the monster under the bed.
Not terrifying, yet still memorable. Donohue impressed me with his prose and capability of maintaining a mysterious edginess. I will definitely be seeking out his earlier works.
I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.