The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy: and Other Stories (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Stick Boy liked Match Girl, he liked her a lot..." (more)
Key Phrases: Oyster Boy, Char Boy, Mummy Boy (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This unassuming hardcover in black buckram with a dark lavender title plate is the door into a world of twisted pleasures. Filmmaker Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, The Nightmare Before Christmas) tells 23 winsomely macabre stories about boys and girls who don't fit in. Their bodies are misshapen, their habits are odd, and their parents are appalled by them. But they do try hard to be human, like poor unwanted Mummy Boy, who's "a bundle of gauze": he goes for a walk in the park with his mummy dog. Some kids are having "a birthday party for a Mexican girl." They think Mummy Boy is a piñata: "They took a baseball bat and whacked open his head. Mummy Boy fell to the ground; he finally was dead. Inside of his head were no candy or prizes, just a few stray beetles of various sizes." For all its simple humor, The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories is a peculiarly disturbing book about the violence that children suffer. It is illustrated in pen and ink, watercolor, and crayon. The themes and imagery are at a young-adult to adult level.

Review

In the manner of the pictorial tales of Shel Silverstein, Roald Dahl, and Edward Gorey--but from a slightly more twisted realm of the imagination--Burton's creepy stories conjure up the fantastical, even the slightly demented: "The Boy with Nails in His Eyes," "Roy, the Toxic Boy," "The Girl with Many Eyes" ("You get really wet/When she breaks down and cries"), and "Brie Boy" ("The other children never let Brie Boy play ... but at least he went well with a nice Chardonnay"). -- Entertainment Weekly

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: HarperEntertainment; 1st edition (October 22, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688156819
• ISBN-13: 978-0688156817
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (137 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #46,576 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Same as the previous edition, but w/ a slip cover, December 18, 2004

By	Book Worm (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories (Hardcover)

This is a great collection of drawings and illustrations from Tim Burton which I would definately reccommend. HOWEVER, keep in mind that the HOLIDAY EDITION is simply the ORIGINAL EDITION, with the addition of a new holiday themed slip cover. Remove the slip cover and you've got the same book. Just don't want anyone ordering thinking that it's a new edition with all-new or additional poems and art. Now that that's out of the way, buy this book! (Either edition, and any time of the year!)

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You don't have to be twisted to like this book!, November 5, 1999

By	nycgirl "nycgirl" (new york city) - See all my reviews

You don't need to like dark things in order to like this dark book. You don't even need to be gloomy or sad to read it. This book is just brilliant. It's innocent and child-like tales will transport you to another level of imagination. You will sympathize with the poor creatures in this book, because they need to be loved too. You will smile and laugh and empathize. I highly recommend giving this book as a gift. Everyone i have lent it to, including corporate execs--really liked it. I also highly recommend "Lenore: Noogies" by Roman Dirge for something similar in terms of art and storyline, which Tim Burton also praises.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Burton's Dark Success!, January 27, 2000

By	Ruben (London) - See all my reviews

I have always admired the on-screen work of Tim Burton but had not known about his literary endeavours. When I was given this book as a present I did not expect much of it even though the title intrigued me and front cover art work was bizarre. I found this to be a collection of surreal accounts of abnormal children but still able to touch and allow the reader to endear to these beastly freaks of nature. The darkness in these stories are reminiscent of much of Burton's film work and the artwork is almost as powerful as the stories themselves. This book works on every possible level as it is simple yet sinister enough to be potent. A definite must-read for all those with a slightly twisted outlook on the world!