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I read this for the Horror square.
I agree with Moonlight Reader that ultimately this book really was underwhelming. I think all of the elements of a good horror story were there, but the characters, the slowly moving plot (and not in a good way by the way) and the ending just left me cold. And I also didn't really feel annoyed enough to rate this lower or like it enough to write it higher than I did. I just feel indifferent, hence the three stars. I can see why there are comparisons to "The Turn of the Screw" but that book built tension in a great way. You don't know whose telling the truth because of the way it's written. You are shown the truth really early on,and then there's a mild twist thrown your way at the end.
"The Boy Who Drew My" is about a ten year old boy named Jack who's on the Asperger's scale. Growing up in Maine, with his caretaker father (Tim) and his lawyer mother (Holly), Jack is worried that due to his behavior he's going to be sent away. By the way this kid has like a thousand names in this book so enjoy that when he's being referred to by different people. I think the author did that as a way to show how nobody really gets this kid, but it was annoying as a reader to just try to keep deciphering all the names.
Three years ago when Jack was playing in the ocean with his best friend Nicholas he almost drowned. Since then he is afraid to leave the house and doesn't go to school or play with his friends. The only boy who still plays with him is childhood friend Nick. And even Nick finds it wearing to be around Jack. Jack has become obsessed with drawing and after a time you start to realize that what Jack draws, seems to have a foothold in the real world.
Holly is in despair about what's their life's going to become now that Jack is getting older and stronger. His father Tim is just an a******. That's all I'm going to say about him. Every time we shifted to that character I just kept hoping that something would eat him. So things are going along like this when things come to a head when Nick comes to stay with the family while his parents go out on a cruise..
The parts that I liked dealt with Holly, Jack, and Nick. I liked it when Holly started to retreat back into her childhood faith in Catholicism and seeks out the local priest to share her troubles. The priest and his housekeeper end up giving her some guidance with the housekeeper much more helpful.
I'm going to ultimately say I was disappointed with this because I thought that the book was kind of turning into a type of Japanese horror book which I would have loved a lot more than what we got. There were hints here and there that's where the author was going and then it's like he forgot about it halfway through and went in the other direction. I mean I felt like I just read the book version of a M Night Shyamalan movie.
The writing I thought was good the author definitely can write a phrase. I also felt like I was in Maine in winter on a desolate stretch of beach and sea.
The flow was a chore though. I think the reason why it was though was the fact that as a reader you're already given an insight into what is going on. So it's not a surprise to you. It's very annoying to read about people who were super clueless. Holly and Tim were in turns mocking, inquisitive, and dismissive every time any of the children tried to tell them what was going on. And at this point I don't understand why they were acting that way considering how many strange things were going on around them.
Maine in the winter term at Christmas time was a great setting for this book. I felt cold and alone just as I think the author wanted me to feel.
The ending fell flat. I don't think the author got that it painted two characters in a very bad light since you can guess what's going to happen from there.
