Random Read: The Hollow City

I first was heard of Dan Wells right after his first novel I Am Not a Serial Killer came out. Someone mentioned it in passing and I thought "hmm, maybe I should read that," before getting distracted by other books. A couple years later I moved to Orem and became acquainted with Dan Wells' daughter. I was floored when I realized my young friend's dad was a published author of a book I'd actually heard of. (Most people I know who have published books have self published and no one has heard of them or their books). I promptly bought his first book, devoured it, and instantly became a Dan Wells fan.

The Hollow City surpassed my expectations. It is not merely a good book, it's words are intricately woven together to form a masterpiece. And I'm not saying this just because I know the guy. I may know Dan Wells, but I know books better than I know him. I would read this book again in a heartbeat and I can't say that about most of the books I read.

The main character of the novel, Michael Shipman, has paranoid schizophrenia. His entire world is full of people, sounds, sights, even flavors that don't actually exist. He believes faceless men are chasing him, can't remember two weeks of his life, and very quickly becomes the main suspect in a series of murders involving people from his past.

The book is not only intriguing, it rings true. While not a paranoid schizophrenic, I was placed on an antipsychotic as a mood stabilizer at the beginning of July. This is the reason I didn't finish the book until today. I got to the section where Michael is placed on medicines and his symptoms were like a carnival mirror version of mine--distorted and larger but recognizably like mine. It was simply too much to read Micheal's journey while I was traversing my own. So I waited until my symptoms died down and today I picked up the book again. Note how I'm reviewing it the same day I read the second half. It was that good.

It's a twisting journey through the mind of a man who can't tell the difference between what's real and what's not. I highly recommend The Hollow City. It will make you question reality, think deeper than you have thought in a while, and entertain you all at the same time. Journey with Michael as he discovers not all the monsters in his head are fake and as he discovers the answer to the question "who can you trust if you can't even trust yourself?"

BBC # 51, The Secret Garden

I've read this book at least 3 times so it won't surprise you that I highly recommend it to anyone!! Especially girls. For some reason girls seem to like it more--Probably because the main character is a girl.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett is a classic that I plan on reading to my children. The main character is Mary, a sour, spoiled little girl who cannot understand when everything doesn't go her way. After her parents deaths in India, she is sent to live with her uncle in England. England is nothing like India and she has to adjust to a different culture and climate as well as learning the world is larger than herself.

Mary becomes friends with sour old gardener Ben Weatherstaff, the robin redbreast, Dickon--the boy who can talk to animals, and eventually even with a child more spoiled and sour than even she was.

The book is one of wonder, of mystery, of taking life as it is and making it better. I loved it even more this read through than I did as a little girl.

This book belongs on every little girl's bookshelf (and pretty much everyone else's too!)

BBC #49, Goodnight Mister Tom

Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian is a wonderful book. I LOVED it. I read it before--I was in 8th or 9th grade. My teacher had it on her shelf and I borrowed it from her. At the time I also read Back Home, written by the same author. They were both written about WWII and children who were sent as evacuees from the big cities. I remember enjoying both of them immensely.

The second read through was as good as the first, though I'm sure I caught more of the meaning. The book starts with Mr. Tom Oakley hearing knocks on the door. He opens it to find a woman with a bunch of children. The woman was someone from the war department or something like that. War with Germany was imminent. Children from the big cities (particularly London) were being evacuated to the country side so when the bombing started, the children would be safe. Families in the country were to take in as many of the children as they could. Mr. Oakley was no exception, though he was an older man who lived alone. He had to take in a child. The boy was pretty much thrust onto him.

The first thing Mr. Tom noticed was a bruise on the boy (Will/Willie/William--he get's called all of them in the book). Mr. Tom soon discovers the Willie had been beaten by his mother. His mother even sent a belt with a hefty buckle with him so that whoever took him in could continue. Gentle hearted Mr. Tom couldn't and wouldn't do that.

Will learns to trust Mr. Tom. He makes friends and breaks out of his shell. He learns that he is good, that he can be accepted and loved. Everything is going well until his mother sends for him saying she's sick. He goes home to find his mother is the same as she was--and she has a baby (the mother is single). She keeps tape on the baby's mouth so it can't cry. Will tries to help it and is beat. His mother calls him a liar when he says he made friends.

Back in the town, Mr Tom doesn't hear anything from Will. None of his friends have heard anything either. Even though he knows he has no real right, Mr. Tom packs up and heads to London to find Will.

I'm stopping the summary there because I don't want to spoil the book and really, you can get most of what I wrote before on the back cover of the book.

Good Night Mr. Tom is an incredibly tender book. It made me almost cry. I would recommend it for adults and children alike. Another 3 thumbs up.