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zara_catlady's review against another edition
3.0
Two-and-a-half stars for me, because it's not the author's fault that the marketing misrepresents this story so badly.
The marketing and cover for this book are wildly misleading. It's pushed as a Stranger Things/Scooby Doo-esque coming of age in the 80s / spooky ghost story, but this is absolutely nothing like Stranger Things or Scooby Doo. There isn't anything paranormal about it, either. I had a hard time getting through it, partly because I felt tricked into reading it.
There's absolutely no joy in this book at all, it's melancholic from cover to cover and the author draws us back to himself as an adult brain surgeon where he tells us dismal stories about children with brain tumors.
The marketing and cover for this book are wildly misleading. It's pushed as a Stranger Things/Scooby Doo-esque coming of age in the 80s / spooky ghost story, but this is absolutely nothing like Stranger Things or Scooby Doo. There isn't anything paranormal about it, either. I had a hard time getting through it, partly because I felt tricked into reading it.
There's absolutely no joy in this book at all, it's melancholic from cover to cover and the author draws us back to himself as an adult brain surgeon where he tells us dismal stories about children with brain tumors.
iskra_in_wonderland's review against another edition
4.0
It took me quite a while to get into this novel, but as the story started unfolding, it was hard to put it down. It is a bitter-sweet story of life; growing up, first love, sadness and accepting life as it is, with both its beautiful and sometimes rather sad moments.
rwhite_reads's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. It’s a coming of age story but done in a Monster Squad meets The Goonies way. If you grew up in the 80s or are a huge fan of anything 80s, you will love this.
trinmarie's review against another edition
5.0
Required reading for the September-October cozy months! Easily a new favorite. It is thoughtful and wholesome, strange, and all around very well done
metapodharden's review against another edition
4.0
Strikes that perfect tone between IT and Stand by Me. No real horror to be found other than the horror of losing that sweet childlike terror that you’ll never get back. I loved the vibe and wished I would’ve saved it for October…might of given it 4.5 because it feels a lot like Trick r’ Treat.
katieikewilhelm's review against another edition
5.0
“‘Do not be alarmed, my boy, and don’t ever be afraid. These ghosts mean no harm. They are spirits who have lost their way. They wander the great unknown in search of peace, and wish to guide us to safety whenever we find ourselves in danger. But you have to believe. Only then will they reveal themselves to you.’
At this, Calvin kissed my son on the nose, his lips pressed to the sheet.
‘And that,’ he said, ‘is why I’ll always believe in ghosts.’”
HOLY HELL. I was looking for something to fill the Stranger Things void in my life, and this did absolutely nothing of the sort. This was incredible. Like, book of a lifetime incredible. If you loved Boy Swallows Universe, which is an all-time favorite of mine, then this is the PERFECT next read. What I thought was going to be a retro sci-fi story was so, so much more - friendship, empathy, coming-of-age, processing trauma and grief, and obviously some ghost stories sprinkled in for good measure, but not in the way you’d think. I do know that everyone deserves an Uncle Cal in their lifetime, and I’d love nothing more than to pay a visit to the Occultorium and wrap him up in a gigantic hug.
Literally everything in the last 30 pages or so is worth quoting, but this is unforgettable:
“I was scared - with that crystalline, childish fear of being caught and punished. That fear thrashed behind my rib cage like a bird in cupped hands, perhaps the last truly childlike instance of that emotion I’d ever feel. That fear is a kind of magic. As you get older, the texture of your fear changes. You’re no longer afraid of the things you had absolute faith in as a child: that you’d die in convulsions from inhaling the gas from a shattered lightbulb, that chewing apple pips brought on death by cyanide poisoning, or that a circus dwarf had actually bounced off a trampoline into the mouth of a hungry hippo. You stop believing in the things my uncle believed in. Even if your mind wants to go there, it has lost the nimbleness needed to make the leap. That magic gets kicked out of you, churched out, shamed out - or worse, you steal it from yourself. It gets embarrassed out of you by the kids who run the same stretch of streets and grown-ups who say it’s time to put away childish things. By degrees, you kill your own magic. Before long your fears become adult ones: crushing debts and responsibilities, sick parents and sick kids, the possibility of dying in remembered or unloved. Fears of not being the person you were so certain you’d grow up to be.
Looking back, I wish I’d relished those final instants of childish fear: that saccharine-sweet taste of terror curdling like sour milk in my mouth.”
At this, Calvin kissed my son on the nose, his lips pressed to the sheet.
‘And that,’ he said, ‘is why I’ll always believe in ghosts.’”
HOLY HELL. I was looking for something to fill the Stranger Things void in my life, and this did absolutely nothing of the sort. This was incredible. Like, book of a lifetime incredible. If you loved Boy Swallows Universe, which is an all-time favorite of mine, then this is the PERFECT next read. What I thought was going to be a retro sci-fi story was so, so much more - friendship, empathy, coming-of-age, processing trauma and grief, and obviously some ghost stories sprinkled in for good measure, but not in the way you’d think. I do know that everyone deserves an Uncle Cal in their lifetime, and I’d love nothing more than to pay a visit to the Occultorium and wrap him up in a gigantic hug.
Literally everything in the last 30 pages or so is worth quoting, but this is unforgettable:
“I was scared - with that crystalline, childish fear of being caught and punished. That fear thrashed behind my rib cage like a bird in cupped hands, perhaps the last truly childlike instance of that emotion I’d ever feel. That fear is a kind of magic. As you get older, the texture of your fear changes. You’re no longer afraid of the things you had absolute faith in as a child: that you’d die in convulsions from inhaling the gas from a shattered lightbulb, that chewing apple pips brought on death by cyanide poisoning, or that a circus dwarf had actually bounced off a trampoline into the mouth of a hungry hippo. You stop believing in the things my uncle believed in. Even if your mind wants to go there, it has lost the nimbleness needed to make the leap. That magic gets kicked out of you, churched out, shamed out - or worse, you steal it from yourself. It gets embarrassed out of you by the kids who run the same stretch of streets and grown-ups who say it’s time to put away childish things. By degrees, you kill your own magic. Before long your fears become adult ones: crushing debts and responsibilities, sick parents and sick kids, the possibility of dying in remembered or unloved. Fears of not being the person you were so certain you’d grow up to be.
Looking back, I wish I’d relished those final instants of childish fear: that saccharine-sweet taste of terror curdling like sour milk in my mouth.”
theadoradaph's review against another edition
1.0
This was not something I enjoyed in general, but to top it off my biggest pet peeve ever was mentioned and just. This wasn't it.
asdoye111's review against another edition
5.0
Every family has a story. Not every family has a story as interesting or heartbreaking.
onionsinge's review against another edition
3.0
This book comes very close to 5 stars for me. It’s quick and easy—and I believe it’s a must-read. So why not 5 stars?
SPOILERS
It really comes down to the neatly tied bow of an ending. There’s nothing wrong with a happy ending, but this one wrapped up too freeze-frame-at-the-end-of-an-80s-movie for me. I appreciate knowing some of the stories after the stories for each character, but the way it’s handled, including the way Uncle C’s lore is expanded upon, felt a bit rushed—and I would have loved to see some of author Craig Davidson’s creativity shine here. Because it’s not like his writing wasn’t top notch.
All of this is a minor gripe, though. I loved it and would read it again and would recommend to just about anybody. I should probably give it 5 stars but I’m stubborn. So there.
SPOILERS
It really comes down to the neatly tied bow of an ending. There’s nothing wrong with a happy ending, but this one wrapped up too freeze-frame-at-the-end-of-an-80s-movie for me. I appreciate knowing some of the stories after the stories for each character, but the way it’s handled, including the way Uncle C’s lore is expanded upon, felt a bit rushed—and I would have loved to see some of author Craig Davidson’s creativity shine here. Because it’s not like his writing wasn’t top notch.
All of this is a minor gripe, though. I loved it and would read it again and would recommend to just about anybody. I should probably give it 5 stars but I’m stubborn. So there.