By: Kelly Barnhill
Publisher: Little, Brown Books: Young Readers
Release Date: August 2nd, 2011
Format: Advanced Reader Copy
Pages: 319
Source: Promoting Agent
Element: Fantasy Mystery
Rating: 3 out of 5
SYNOPSIS: Jack has always felt invisible. Even his parents hardly notice him! That's why Hazelwood, Iowa surprises him the most. Because people notice him.
Sent to his aunt and uncle's for the summer while his parents work through a divorce, Jack feels more alone than ever. But after his aunt and uncle repeatedly ask him to join them for meals, kids in the neighborhood take an interest in him, and a mysterious book features a picture of him when he was young, Jack starts to feel more at home, more needed, and more loved. His new visibility gives him a power and knowledge he never knew lived inside him. But with visibility comes responsibility and Jack has to choose between keeping his friends or saving them.
RESPONSE: This is probably the hardest response to write because I loved Jack's story but there were so many aspects of the storytelling that I was really frustrated with. While I would definitely recommend this novel to fans of fantasy, mystery, and fairy tales, I'm still going to tell you what I both enjoyed and what made me disappointed. I couldn't put the book down because the story was fascinating, but in the end I felt I was missing some key elements that would have made this story memorable.
I'm going to start off with a positive! Barnhill is a master (mastress?) of mystery. Usually, I find myself at least hazarding a guess at the outcome, but Barnhill has crafted a story with such mystical and mysterious elements that I was surprised at every turn.
The depth of mystery in the novel is probably in part due to the multitude of characters that take part in telling this story. Jack may be the main character but there are at least seven other characters that battle him for the spotlight. Now, this is where I began to feel a little frustrated. I actually did like that the story jumped from character to character because it gives the reader a unique view of the overall facts of the story and maintains the world of mystery that surrounds Jack. What I didn't like was that so many character narrations resulted in a diminished development of each character, especially the main one. Ultimately, I felt that certain characters may have robbed a bit of Jack's connection with the reader, thus making it hard for me (personally) to relate to Jack. And because I didn't relate to the main character all that much, I felt I wasn't as invested in the story as I could have been.
Now, if Wendy had been the main character, I may have a been a bit more interested. Wendy was by far my favorite character. She's witty, courageous, spunky, and honorable. But even she disappointed me. She expresses a strong feeling of friendship towards Jack that just didn't ring true with me. I don't doubt that she felt a strong connection with Jack as a friend, but the development of their friendship was lacking in luster. I found only one moment in which the two had a touching personal connection that might have warranted Wendy's fervent attachment to Jack, but even that wasn't enough for me to really believe in the eternalness of Jack and Wendy's friendship.
Other characters suffered from lack of development as well. I was frustrated by the lack of character background provided for two characters: Jack's uncle, and Jack's new friend, Anders. Both characters have this uncanny magical ability that is never fully explained. They're the type of characters (like Dumbledore) who know more than they let on and yet always seem to be right in their assumptions. Unlike other characters (like Dumbledore), however, there isn't really a foundation for their knowledge. In other words, there is no propelling force or compelling explanation as to why they know more than other characters which makes their superior intellect unbelievable.
I was also disappointed by the lack of development around Jack's aunt and Wendy's father. Both show magical signs of ferocity and gumption but neither trait in either character is developed to its full potential. Jack notices signs of a powerful force within his aunt, but we never see this power explained or elaborated or used by his aunt. Perhaps with so many characters vying for the limelight, the hints at a character's true personality just couldn't be examined.
RATING: This story was original and unique and I wish I could say that I loved every word of it. While Barnhill's writing and magical powers of mystery were very impressive, my frustrations with character development really detracted from my enjoyment of the story. I'm giving The Mostly True Story of Jack 3 out of 5 Book Elements. Were I into giving fractions, I'd probably give this 3 2/3 Book Elements. Famous Lines: "I might be dreaming or I might be awake. In the end, they're kind of the same. No matter what, you only ever know about half of what's going on. And then you only mostly know."
Elements: Fantasy, Mystery, Ghosts, Magic
0 comments:
Post a Comment