Author: Matt Haig
Publisher: HarperCollins Canada
A Really Bad Summary:
Nicholas’ went on a hunting trip and he never went back home. He slipped past the clutches of his strict Aunt and sought out to find his dad. During Nicholas trip he meets the most colourful of characters: a lost elf, an angry elf, and the magical reindeer that could apparently bring world peace.
Review:
This is the very first Matt Haig book that I have read and wow what an introduction to his written.
Yes, it is a children’s book but these kinds of books are very hard to write and he was able to deliver it very well. The book is both very cozy and very cold. He writes books to both teach and ignite your imagination. He tweaks the fairytale creatures and stories that you know and gives it a little twist to make it fit his narrative.
His characters feel like they already have existed and not just in the pages. It feels like they have already existed and have just lent their personalities to the characters typed on the page. He writes real characters that make you want to be just like them or, on the contrary, not be like them and run the opposite direction.
I really liked this book cause it teaches you how to be kind inspite of all the adversities that you yourself are facing. There is always room for kindness no matter the circumstances.
Here comes the rant:
Characters –
The characters are very well written. I really liked how Haig was able to do something different with familiar mythological creatures without making them such a stranger that they are unrecognizable.
Atmosphere –
Oh! The atmosphere was very well-written. You were cold when the characters were cold. You were warm when the characters were warm.
Writing style –
Very well done! Haig was able to make the atmosphere cozy when it needed to be – inspite of the freezing temperatures of the fantastical land – and frigid when it needed to be. He was able to write exactly how the character feels and how he wants the readers to feel. Considering this was a children’s book, he didn’t belittle the vocabulary. Instead, he picked the right kind of words that will allow simple words to bring his message across.
Plot –
The plot is also quite simple but not boring. It followed the proper fairytale proceedings but the familiarity of the equation doesn’t feel overused or flat.
Intrigue –
I loved the intrigued. I thought it would be a simple let-me-save-my-dad-from-the-wicked-witch. However, I didn’t expect the story to have a moral lesson in kindness and love during Christmas. I mean I do love the flying reindeers that only fly if people still believe in them and the fairies that would cease to exists if no one no longer believes in them. But I absolutely love the lessons in kindness.
Logic –
Yes, it is deeply embedded in fantasy but everything in their land made sense. There is no confusion as to how things are or why things are.
Enjoyment –
Other than the Nativity story, I think this would be my second most favorite Christmas story.