“Crowded together, they are a family of strangers. All of them hanging by an iron thread. All of them in this together. All of them falling…” p. 59
David is disfigured – alone – different. His mother left him, for his own good, she said, but whatever the reason, she is gone, and he is left with his bug-eyed, ugly face, his gargantuan ears, tall, gangling height, and his unbearable secret. His Defect.
His foster family, the Trotwoods, seem to actually like him, and at his new school, where all the kids have issues of their own, he kind of has a pal who turns into a girlfriend. But once the secret’s out – will any of this remain?
Beautifully detailed descriptions and lyrical prose are a treat to read in this novel. Readers have a sense of all aspects of David’s world, internally and externally. The emotional resonance makes each scene echo in the brain. Will Weaver has created a memorable character and a darned good story that causes readers to take a second look at what they believe about being cursed – and to maybe come to understand what might be a blessing in disguise.
This review was first published in the October '07 Edge of the Forest Children's Literary Journal.
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