Customer Reviews

Creature of the Night

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It is hard to categorize this book. Bobby is a delinquent, thieving, foul-mouthed, rebellious Irish teen who is moved by his troubled mother to a house in the countryside. She is hoping that Bobby, removed from the bad influences of Dublin, will be able to start over. Or at least that she, Bobby and his younger brother can hide from the creditors. Oh, one small thing: the house may or may not be haunted. The previous tenant disappeared. Fascinating and richly drawn neighbors balance the mom's lousy parenting. All of the characters are many-sided and realistic. There are no pat answers to any of the questions, but the story will suck you in and keep you reading far into the night.

This book swept me away.

The "hero" is a young boy that most of us would avoid knowing, and would judge out of hand as a burden on society, a juvenile criminal, callous and violent. And yet Kate Thompson succeeds in portraying him sensitively and sympathetically without excusing his behaviour.

The characters are convincing and fascinating, and I finished the book feeling as though I had really spent the time inside somebody else's head, and learnt something new about how the world works.