Synopsis : ‘Everything You Can Imagine is Real’
High in his attic bedroom, twelve-year-old David mourns the loss of his mother. He is angry and he is alone, with only the books on his shelf for company.
But those books have begun to whisper to him in the darkness, and as he takes refuge in the myths and fairytales so beloved of his dead mother he finds that the real world and the fantasy world have begun to meld. The Crooked Man has come, with his mocking smile and his enigmatic words: ‘Welcome, your majesty. All hail the new king.’
And as war rages across Europe, David is violently propelled into a land that is both a construct of his imagination yet frighteningly real, a strange reflection of his own world composed of myths and stories, populated by wolves and worse-than-wolves, and ruled over by a faded king who keeps his secrets in a legendary book . . .
Review : Before starting this book, I was a little afraid about the way the author has changed the tales all along the story. Indeed, I think it’s always difficult to rewrite stories of our childhood, stories that everyone knows about, without remove the little thing there is in them or even their enchantment. But it wasn’t the case, we can discover with a great pleasure the writings we all know but in a different form. Some don’t change and are very representative from the first ones, others have a new very original version like for the Little Red Riding Hood. Some of the stories are more horrific and others make us smile like Snow White, I can say I really loved this one, it was a really great idea !
It’s a nice book, at the same time strange and fascinating. It was a real pleasure to follow the adventures of David.
Melissa (Books and Things)
Oh I really enjoyed this book too. It took me by surprise! I think it is a great book for adults as well.
Melliane
yeah it was a great surprise, I’m so glad my friend gives it to me !
Mimi Valentine
Aww, this book sounds like such a sweet and magical read! When I first read the summary, I thought it was a book for younger kids too because of the young protagonist, but I’m actually glad it’s not! It makes me want to pick up this book even more! 🙂
Awesome review, Melliane! I’m glad it surprised you — in a good way! — and that this book has some character growth in it! That makes it even more awesome!
Melliane
Yeah me too but finally it’s full of darkness and complex stories. I think the US and UK allows us to make this mistake, it’s very different from the french. I would be curious to know what you think about it if you read it. In some way it’s magical and sweet and in others it’s not at all. It’s a good mix.
Melissa (My World...in words and pages)
Oh, this is a new one for me. So glad to see you enjoyed it. Thank you! And retelling story tales is a hard thing with making it their own as well as keeping it so others want to enjoy it too. Great review.
Melliane
I think it was a great idea to do it in this way, it very different. Thanks
Wendy Darling
I keep hearing great things about this author and about this book in particular. Great review! I think I’m going to have to check this out.
Melliane
Thanks, I don’t know anything about his other books, but if you heard great things I will look for them.
Missie
Interesting to have such a young narrator in an adult book. I haven’t read many stories that can pull this off.
Sounds like the repetitiveness was used to create an ominous ambiance, but it just didn’t translate very well. Good to know it improves after that.
Melliane
I think It must be that too. I haven’t either.
Melissa
Sounds like a fascinating book. With retelling they have to put enough of a twist on it to make it not just a bad copycat!!