Towards the end of Shakespeare Wrote For Money, Hornby channels Sarah Sullivan and goes on a big YA fiction kick (YA being Young Adult, the home of Rowling, Pearce, Lewis, etc.). The two he talks most about are David Almond's Skellig (his favorite) and Toby Barlow's Sharp Teeth. I ordered them both, to see what the fuss was about, and after finishing Skellig I felt like maybe I missed something, and this would be another brief joint post. It won't be, but more on that later.
Skellig is good. It's not great, though it has some great parts, and its not bad, though it leaves (for me) a lot to be desired. I'm not sure what this book would have done for me as a "Young Adult" because, the way it is written, it would have felt small even when I was 13. It's told in the first person by a young boy, Michael, in England, who moves with his parents who spend most of their time driving to and from the hospital where their newborn daughter is probably dying. Michael, while trying to amuse himself and cope, finds an old man barely surviving in his new garage. With the help of his new friend, Mina, they nurse the man back to health, to find that he is probably (and this is not a spoiler, look at that cover) an angel. The book is about being young and changing and coping with things that no one should ever have to cope with, least of all 13 year old boys. But it is short, and written in huge print with short sentences, and while there are a couple of sweet, simple passages that brought tears to my eyes, it also never feels totally gripping or engaging, it feels too slight. But I am sure there are those among you (Julie) who would love it as much as Hornby did. As for my love, its coming up next.
No comments:
Post a Comment