So, now this story is finally getting interesting. I mean, I found that the first 4 chapters quite boring, with a very depressing tone and minimal character development. The first 4 chapters focused mainly on overly-describing the location that they lived in, but they did not give the town a name (it is now said to be called 'Highfield').
So, let's talk about this new mystery that is being established in this story. Will's father is visited by an old man that has found a glass orb filled with liquid that glows like sunlight whenever left in darkness. Will's father has no explanation for this, and leaves it for further investigation. Will introduces Chester to his secret dig site, where he is digging as far as he can deep into the earth; after digging over the course of a week, they unearth a secret room buried under limestone that isn't native to where they live. This secret room looks like a Victorian-era morgue, with names written on the walls and a rose carved into one of the walls. Will notices a pit in the ground of this room, and feels an updraft coming from it; they then leave as they become spooked because of this out-of-place updraft. Will's father notices that after the discovery of the light orb he is being followed by pale, stout, men in trench coats, dark sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat. He chases one to no avail.
This section of the book ends with Rebecca seeing someone rummaging through their garbage and then sifting away into the night; at the same time, Will notices his father digging in the common of their house (just outside of their backyard).
So, what do I think of this section of the book? I am starting to see promise. Yes, there is still a resounding tone of depression and dreariness, and I would prefer some humour or light moments to provide balance. One thing that I am on the fence about is the extremely detailed descriptions of every individual thing. This is one of the main problems that many people have with this book; you know the scene I described with Rebecca seing a guy rummaging through the garbage? Yeah, that is 12 pages long...and it is about as interesting as Ben Stein reading the dictionary. Honestly, my short summary there with some slightly more descriptive words would have sufficed. Needless to say, these descriptions carry on throughout the rest of the book.
There was also one scene in one of the chapters that made me almost cringe. At one point Will enters the house to a heated argument between his usually senile mother and uninterested father. This scene involves the mother berating and beating the father, calling him a useless worm and a royal failure that is only a waste of space that holds the family down. On top of this brutally unforgiving scene, Will (being the cynic that he suddenly is) makes a joke about this fight. This made me annoyed with Will as a character, since it is noticeably disturbing and upsetting his sister, and he decides to act like a complete ass (am I allowed to say that? Whatever...) and tell of his sister saying it really doesn't matter.
So, in summary, I am enjoying the mysterious things being added into the mix of depression and description, but I can't say that I can agree with some critical reviews saying that the book was 'The next Harry Potter'. I am seeing some promise, but also I am beginning to dislike the protagonist of the story, which is never a good thing, as he is not made out to be an anti-hero.
'Till Next Time, Adventurers!
P.S. That one chapter about the Rebecca seeing someone go through the garbage? Yeah, that goes nowhere, and doesn't add to the plot whatsoever.
No comments:
Post a Comment