Every now and then — and nowadays too rarely for my liking — I come across a book that sucks me in from the moment I pick it up in the bookstore. As soon as I buy it, I can’t wait to read it; and as soon as I start reading it, I can’t put it down. I’m happy to say that such was the case when I went to B&N this weekend.
Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you — if you have not already read it — Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.
It’s a novel of the strange. I wouldn’t call it fantasy nor even urban fantasy, though I suppose “paranormal” might fit — but that genre tends to get clogged up by witches and vampires, so, uh, scratch that. I’m lazy about plot summaries, so here’s the back-cover version on the author’s website. Basically, teenager Jacob Portman discovers that the orphanage where his grandfather grew up — along with all of its peculiar inhabitants — really does exist, and that all of grandpa’s crazy stories about it were true. And by the time he realizes what’s going on, he’s already caught up in this adventure-slash-nightmare of epic (potentially world-destroying) proportions.
O newly discovered bestselling novel, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways —
The plot is well-structured and engaging, with secrets and surprises springing up all over the place (though I have to say I JUST KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING UP WITH THAT GUY — when you read it, you’ll understand). The characters are well-developed and engaging — not to Gabriel García Márquez level, I suppose, but certainly enough to not make me roll my eyes. The writing is clear and straightforward, yet expressive, full of voice, and detailed just enough to give you a nicely developed fictive dream without making you want to skip whole paragraphs.
There is FOLKLORE in it. And history.
And there are photographs! The creative twist in the book is that the plot is twined around these “peculiar” photographs, collected from flea markets and such, that really give it another dimension. Multimedia experiments don’t always go over well, but I give this one five stars.
Did I mention there’s a sequel???
