There has been a book languishing on my shelf at home for
years which I finally decided to read. (I wish I could say that's an exaggeration but the book was published in 2007 and I'm fairly positive I bought it when it came out.) *cue swelling violin music as I look into the distance with a single tear running down my cheek* I recently read and reviewed
Frindle which prompted me to finally pick this sad book from its obscurity on my bottom shelf (far right corner if you're visualizing) and give it a shot. Have you guessed what it is by this vague beginning? It's
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick! Selznick was the illustrator of Frindle and I really felt like his illustrations lent a lot to that storyline so I thought I would dust off my book by him and give it a shot. (Full disclosure: I actually read
The Marvels before I read
The Invention of Hugo Cabret but I wanted to write this introduction and this felt more dramatic.)
I'm guessing that if you haven't read
The Invention of Hugo Cabret then you've at least seen the film
Hugo starring Asa Butterfield and
Chloë Grace Moretz. The movie adaptation is actually very faithful to the book. If you're unfamiliar, it's about a boy that is living in a train station in Paris and trying to put together a clockwork man. In order to do so, he has to stoop to thievery, sneaking, and subterfuge. But it's not simply the storyline that sets Selznick apart from the pack. It's his use of illustrations and words that make reading his books so enjoyable. There are full-page spreads with no text whatsoever that are absolutely breathtaking. Generally, his illustrations are done in pencil and without color. They're gorgeous and I love them.Themes explored include but are not limited to: loss and redemption, solace in the written word, trust of children over adults, and orphaned children. Out of the three I'm reviewing today this one was my least favorite but that might have been because I already knew the story from seeing the film...or that he was still experimenting with his style with this earlier work. However, I'd still rate it a 9/10.
The Marvels is his newest work and combines two stories into one. The first half is told entirely through pictures and is incredibly moving and beautiful. If I didn't convey this before, I find Selznick's art highly compelling and capable of telling a story without words being necessary. That didn't stop me from loving the second half of the book which is told from a different perspective and through text alone. The ending is a delightful mixture of the two which makes total sense with the narrative. It's difficult to explain this one without giving anything away but I'll give it my best shot. There's a boy who runs away, a sad man living in a house which has its own lively spirit, a girl chasing a dog, and the pangs of first love. Selznick touches on topics such as abandonment, homosexuality, AIDS, death, and ultimately coming into one's own. It's all about the choices that we make and the people that we want to become. It's phenomenal and maybe my favorite of the lot. 10/10
I was totally charmed by Wonderstruck because I went into it totally blind as to what it contained. I had a clue from the bolt of lightning on the front cover but even that was just a tiny portion of this stellar novel. The reader follows a boy on a journey from his small town into the bustling metropolis of New York City as he tries to find a clue to his origin story. Once again we are treated to detailed illustrations of not only the New York of the 1970s but of the 1920s as well. And a large part of the novel takes place in one of my favorite places in NYC: The American Museum of Natural History. There's a description of early museums and cabinets of curiosities (look out for a post in the future about this in more detail) which entrance as well as educate. Selznick explores Deaf culture, survival against all odds, and how we are all connected to one another. There is a grounding in true historical events which lends an extra dimension to the narrative. 10/10
What's Up Next:
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart with illustrations by Carson Ellis (you'll be seeing her again soon)
What I'm Currently Reading:
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Conrad
**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click
here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **
