A boy has been killed, and Davie thinks he might know who is responsible. He turns away from the gossip and excitement and sets off roaming towards the sunlit hills above the town.
As the day goes on, the real and the imaginary start to merge, and Davie knows that neither he nor his world will ever be the same again. – Goodreads.com
I received a copy of this book free via netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
I feel as though this may be an unpopular opinion, and though this review will probably seem mostly negative, I will be sure to include some aspects I did enjoy, and please remember that this is all subjective. I may not have enjoyed it so much but I have no doubt that others will love it.
The writing was very nicely done, and whimsical, almost stream of conscious style. On that alone, I couldn’t fault it. It would be a perfect summer read, especially if you’re able to lay out on the grass under the sun and feel like you’re there with the characters.
The issues I had with the plot itself were that… well, overall, it just felt like the author didn’t fully commit to their story. There was a major plot point which I had expected, or hoped, to play more of a role in shaping the main characters actions and thoughts but it had next to no affect. The ending basically negated the presence of that particular plot point as well. I’m trying to hard to not spoil this.
The characters were a little washed out for my liking, though they had SO much potential. Wilf and Gosh could have been much stronger, as well as Davie. It’s as though they let the plot lead them instead of leading themselves which took away a lot of the presence.
Overall it felt quite disconnected. I feel as though something like this may have worked better as a picture story book, a little more condensed and precise with imagery to complement it.
All in all, not a bad read, but not one of my favourites. I understand this is for young readers, but I feel like they could handle a bit more… strength.
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