A review by macaronoui
Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

What an incredible debut.
Firstly this book might be triggering for Ashkenazi Jews, Jews in general or people who have experienced generational trauma.
It is a beautiful book, but take your time with it as it is devastating.
The story is written absolutely beautifully and alternates Isaac, his sister Bellatine and Thistlefoot the walking house.
Their parents had a traveling puppet show about the fool who drowns.
A mysterious man, the longshadow man is hunting Thistlefoot.
The story weaves beautifully between fiction, historical fiction, magical realism and fantasy. I annotated so much in this book, here are two of my faves.
I highly highly recommend this book. I expect it will stay with me for a long time. 
“You can watch something and walk away after like you were never there. Witness is a testimony." He looked up. "With a witness, it could be like we never died."
“What is a house but a container for a life? What is a life but a container for a story? When a container is broken, it does not destroy the contents. It sets them free.”
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