Review: The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

The Book of Lost Things

John Connolly
Published by Hodder and Stoughton 2007
Genre: Fantasy, Fairytales, Young Adult

Goodreads | Bookdepository

High in his attic bedroom, twelve-year-old David mourns the death of his mother, with only the books on his shelf for company. But those books have begun to whisper to him in the darkness. Angry and alone, he takes refuge in his imagination and soon finds that reality and fantasy have begun to meld. While his family falls apart around him, David is violently propelled into a world that is a strange reflection of his own -- populated by heroes and monsters and ruled by a faded king who keeps his secrets in a mysterious book, The Book of Lost Things.

Taking readers on a vivid journey through the loss of innocence into adulthood and beyond, New York Times bestselling author John Connolly tells a dark and compelling tale that reminds us of the enduring power of stories in our lives.

POSITIVE THOUGHTS

• The world that is created in The Book of Lost Things is absolutely stunning. David ends up in a high fantasy world full of strange animals, people and things-in-between. I wouldn't say any of the other characters has the same depth as David, but that didn't bother me at all. They were all interesting in their own way, especially the ones that were adapted from well known faiytales... Which brings me to my next point!
• Fairytales! I loved LOVED how the author incorporated different fairytales into the story. I remember Snow White and the Dwarves the best, because I thought this part of the book was so funny. I don't want to spoil anything, but just imagine a big fat huge and just plain bitchy Snow White living with a bunch of socialist dwarves. Lovely!! Other fairytales that passed by were Little Red Riding Hood, Rumplestiltskin and The Sleeping Beauty but neither of the characters were their ordinary selves. They are all adapted into a gruesome version of the original story and in a very creative way too. Personally I really enjoy fairytale retellings and especially when the sweet stories are turned into something a bit less rainbow and sugar. 
• Character development. This is probably the most important thing about this book: David is growing up. What I like about his coming of age is that it happens in a really subtle way. I remember feeling he was so childish and a bit annoying at the start, but then suddenly at the end I was thinking: my goodness, he really has grown into a young man and it happened right under my nose! He never acted against his character just for the sake of growing up. It all happened in a very natural way, as far as a fairytale world can be natural of course. 
• The message behind the fantasy. I'm not sure how I can explain this without giving away the best part of the story, but the thing is that David started out as a young boy who is jealous of his baby half-brother. All he wants is for Georgie to just dissappear and that everything goes back to normal. Throughout the story David learns a lot about himself and about life and eventually, at the end, he discovers something in the Book of Lost Things that really changes the way he sees his new family. I loved every single thing about this big discovery and how the plot really came together.  

NEGATIVE THOUGHTS

• Possibly, it might take the reader a while to get into the story. The beginning is a bit slow and it takes a few chapters for the book to really start. Personally, I had no trouble getting through the first chapters, but I did feel like the book only got really freaking awesome after a while.

Have you read The Book of Lost Things? If not, do you enjoy fairytale retellings?