A review by lnocita
The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen

5.0

T.S. Spivet is a cartographer extraordinaire. His drawings are exquisitely detailed and reveal the smallest details with exactitude and understanding. His works have been published in several prominent scientific magazines. When T.S. wins the Smithsonian's prestigious Baird award, the twelve year old's world is turned upside down. At first declining the award, realizing that there has been a rather grave misrepresentation of his personage, T.S. on second thought, decides to accept and begins his Odysseus-like travel from Montana to Washington D.C. This novel is a gem. I absolutely loved the prose. And although the twelve-year old protagonist seems rather improbable, the author deftly manages to hook the reader by giving T.S. Spivet just enough youthful naivete, foibles and exuberance to convince herself/himself to suspend all disbelief and and jump on the freight train alongside T.S. As the novel winds to its conclusion, the narrative becomes fairly Alice-in-Wonderland-esque with a bit of "National Treasure" thrown in for good measure, but I like the ambiguity this lends to the story's interpretation. Did it all really happen? Or was it richly imagined in the throes of a nap among the Montana wheatgrasses, a prolonged delirium or depression? Best novel I have read in 2009 by far. This is one I will be recommending heartily!