Read by Theme discussion

For "Teenage Protagonist" I was trying to find a non-YA book, but this one turned out to be about a ten-year-old. I figured that wasn't quite close enough to be considered "close enough," so I'm posting it here.

This book is obviously what Neil Gaiman drew from when he wrote Coraline. There are so many similarities that I almost knew what was going to happen while reading it, but that didn't ruin my experience at all.

I really wanted to check out Clive Barker because his name is always mentioned in the same breath as many of my other favorite authors, and I am glad that I did.

The Thief of Always begins much like The Phantom Tollbooth: a boy (Harvey), bored with life, is offered a chance to go on an extraordinary journey.

The way that Clive Barker describes Harvey's adventures during the introductory period of the story is riddled with foreshadowing of the true nature of the House. There are several chapters all about the fun that the children are having, but it is told in a dreamlike way - the weather changes, other children come and go, and suddenly it's dinnertime (which means it's Thanksgiving). This serves to make the reader feel uneasy about the paradise. It's very similar to the moment in horror films leading up to a ghost appearing or a sudden death. One can very well imagine eerie music playing along with the children.

The servants of Mr Hood, the proprietor of Hood's House, are four imps who live on the roof. They are given a mischievous and dangerous air, but remain largely unseen throughout most of the book. This again serves to make the reader feel uneasy - as though those four imps are watching YOU as you are reading.

(view spoiler)[I was suitably impressed by the character of Mrs Griffin, mostly because I was expecting her to be revealed as the eons-old, evil, hungry thing in disguise. I should have known that Barker is a better writer than that, though, and above such cheesiness. Her backstory was given toward the end of the story, and it was concise and beautiful. As I said in my regular review - it made me feel bad for doubting her. (hide spoiler)]

Readers that enjoyed Coraline should give this a try. I think you'll find that it mars your opinion of it [Coraline] just a bit. I have never been even slightly disappointed in Neil Gaiman, until I read The Thief of Always. Because of the enormous amount of foreshadowing in the early chapters that I am sure I missed, I will be rereading this before I take it back to the library.

Five out of five, without a doubt.