Review: Tell the Story to Its End - Simon P. Clark

Tell the Story to Its End by Simon P. Clark

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Book description:

In this beautiful, haunting debut, a boy is whisked away to the country in the wake of a scandal, and finds a captivating creature in the attic whose attention comes at a sinister price.

"Tell the story to its end," says Eren with a grin.
His yellow eyes are glowing like embers in the night.
"When I reach the end," I say, "what happens? You'll have the whole story."
"Hmm," he says, looking at me and licking his lips with a dry, grey tongue. "What happens then? Why don't we find out?"

People are keeping secrets from Oli. His mum has brought him to stay with his aunt and uncle in the countryside, but nobody will tell him why his dad where his father is. Why isn't he with them? Has something happened? Oli has a hundred questions, and only an old, empty house in the middle of an ancient forest for answers. But then he finds a secret of his own: there is a creature that lives in the attic…

Eren is not human.
Eren is hungry for stories.
Eren has been waiting for him.

Sharing his stories with Eren, Oli starts to make sense of what’s happening downstairs with his family. But what if it’s a trap? Soon, Oli must make a choice: learn the truth—or abandon himself to Eren’s world, forever.

Reminiscent of SKELLIG by David Almond and A MONSTER CALLS by Patrick Ness, EREN is richly atmospheric, moving, unsettleing, and told in gorgeous prose. A modern classic in the making. (less)


REVIEW:


I absolutely loved the chill and suspense in Tell The Story to its End. Even the title seemed menacing to me. I received this book free in order to provide an honest review. It is one of the few books I have read that slipped back into my mind for days afterwards.

I loved the use of prose and the whole setting (attic) out away from the city in a old family house. The words flow so beautifully from Erin when he is in charm mode. The idea of beings that have always been around, you don't know if they are good, bad, worse than imaginable, etc. I loved the details of the stories told and Erin's reactions. The fantasy elements and pace of the story had me reading & reading because I had to know what comes next. I wanted to love Erin & go away with him myself at times. Haha. A wonderful book to read if you want to think about things that can get a little surreal. Loved it.

I believe it is a middle aged read, but it does feel quite dark during the later parts. Might cause me some nightmares even. Gives the reader quite a bit to ponder on if you like that sort of thing.



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