BOOKISH... Join us for our monthly book club! BY JOEL FRANCIS
W
elcome back! This month there is a theme (sort of) for the books I’m recommending: the human experience. That is to say that although these books span genres and age ranges, they all deal with what it’s like to be a person and live life and have those big questions about the universe floating around in your mind. I hope you enjoy them!
IMAGINARY FRIEND Stephen Chbosky Genre: Horror/Thriller What’s in the pages? Eight-year-old Christopher has just moved to Mill Grove with his mother to escape an abusive relationship. Lonely, dyslexic and still living under the shadow of the suicide of his father, he disappears into the woods one night only to return six days later. His life is changed forever; he has everything he could ever dream of… but at what cost? Why should you read it? Imaginary Friend is hard to fit into one genre; sure, it’s a horror novel, taking its inspiration from one of the masters of horror, Stephen King. Though this book is absolutely terrifying (I put it down more than once because of the horrifying imagery) it’s also more than that; it’s a story about small towns, poverty, family ties and the relationship between a vulnerable child and his overprotective mother. The characters are what this book so enjoyable, Chbosky has a talent for allowing you to fully relate to his characters (as proven in his only other work The Perks of Being A Wallflower - which is my favourite book). This book is a page-turning contemplation of the struggles of society when it fails it’s most vulnerable while also being a fast-paced, crazy story that’s full of suspenseful twists and horrifying turns until the very last word
54
GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE APRIL 2020
