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A review by leksikality
The True Tale of the Monster Billy Dean by David Almond
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It's more like a character study than a narrative, and in that respect, it succeeds. It's quite different from Almond's other works, though, so if that's what you're after, this will probably disappoint.
Billy is a difficult character to pin down so - being a first-person narrative - we don't get the full picture of the world he lives in because he doesn't have the full picture. His isolation has replaced context with naivety, but as a result he is also cruel and sometimes unsettling. There's a sense that he's always just one step away from doing something unforgivable without any comprehension of the consequences which creates an atmosphere of suspense that is far more intense than knowing a bad person is about to do a bad thing, which isn't to say that Billy is necessarily good. It's complicated.
Billy is a difficult character to pin down so - being a first-person narrative - we don't get the full picture of the world he lives in because he doesn't have the full picture. His isolation has replaced context with naivety, but as a result he is also cruel and sometimes unsettling. There's a sense that he's always just one step away from doing something unforgivable without any comprehension of the consequences which creates an atmosphere of suspense that is far more intense than knowing a bad person is about to do a bad thing, which isn't to say that Billy is necessarily good. It's complicated.