Literary master Tim Wynne-Jones has penned another outstanding book for adventurous readers, combining history and horror to grip the imagination.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review) Readers will carry this haunting story with them for a long time. The layers of intergenerational strife, savage warfare, lingering suspicion and gradual healing are quilted into a warming narrative that is both uncompromisingly tragic and holistically redemptive. and the ways they begin to fuse together are breathtaking. All these seemingly disparate parts come together in fascinating ways, resulting in an affecting and unforgettable read.Įnglish-Canadian author Tim Wynne-Jones ( The Uninvited, Blink & Caution) crafts a truly spellbinding novel in which the mystical, desert-island, wartime chronicle is as riveting as the modern-day story. There’s a whole lot going on here: Evan’s and Griff’s shared heartbreak, exhibited in very different ways, and their own increasingly complicated relationship the stark contrast between the mainly nondescript “Any Place” of Evan’s suburban Ontario and the horror of the desert island and the unlikely friendship between enemy soldiers in the story-within-a-story. Offering a unique take on the World War II period, this intergenerational tale is an excellent addition to most YA collections. A riveting, remarkable novel by a reliably great Canadian writer. The main characters in both time periods are complex and vividly portrayed, while the stories, both supernatural and realistic, quietly take note of nuances that standard narratives overlook. Wynne-Jones writes with a sure hand and a willingness to take readers into uncharted territory.
Without spelling out the metaphoric significance of the story within the story, Wynne-Jones provides enough hints for readers to make connections and examine the lines between war and peace, as well as hate and love. Readers will be swept up quickly in the tense relationship between Evan and Griff, as well as the unlikely friendship between enemy soldiers fighting for survival in a surreal landscape. An accomplished wordsmith, Wynne-Jones achieves an extraordinary feat: he eliminates the hidden depths of personalities and families through a mesmerizing blend of realism and magic. Dual stories of strength and resilience illuminate the effects that war has on individuals and on father-son relationships, effects that stretch in unexpected ways across generations as Evan and Griff make their way toward a truce.
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