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In reply to the discussion: What's the last book you read? How would rate it---5 being great ---1 being it is not a reread. [View all]limbicnuminousity
(1,408 posts)Re-reading, actually, for the first time since it was released. Rating: 4.5.
It's a haunting coming of age story cast as a dark fairy-tale circa 1950s. Two school boys come of age while discovering magic, love, pain and loss. Reminds me a bit of Jack London although the plot is nothing like Jack London's stories and the writing style is dissimilar. It's really good story-telling, engaging in the same way that Jack London draws you into his short stories/novellas.
Not high fiction by any means but there's something graceful about the way the plot is woven together. And the fairy-tale vibe to the novel is unique to modern novels. Reminiscent of the original Grimm's in some ways. Definitely a dark fairy tale.
The rating is based on the quality of the story, the quality of the writing, and its uniqueness.