The Book of Lost Things

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

I loved this book. I read it slowly, a chapter or two at a time. There was so much imagery, I would stop after short bursts of reading to process it.

David is the main character. He's about 12 years old and his mother dies. David's father meets a woman named Rose and soon they move from London to her home in the country. Before too long, a new baby has arrived and David feels angry and resentful to Rose and Georgia for taking his father away from him.  At their new home, David's room is filled with books and they begin to whisper to him. One day, David is outside and looks up at the house. There he sees a strange and crooked man walk past a window. He thinks it might be his imagination, but is equally certain that it's not.

One evening, David decides to wander down to a sunken garden on the property and enters a narrow space that looks like a crack. He's then pulled into a strange yet familiar world.

This is in the Fairy Tale category and draws on many familiar stories from the Brothers Grimm. I don't want to say too much because it's hard to tell about the story without giving it away. I will say that the characters are well written and all are interesting. I think it's categorized as young adult. I recommend this book with a word of warning. It can be pretty graphic.

Not related to story, the cover is gorgeous. I recognized the artist right away as Robert Ryan. I want to keep the book just for that reason.

Have you read The Book of Lost Things? What did you think of it?