Community Reviews
This was a quick read. It was short, the art work was nice to look at, the story interesting and sad. Conor was a likeable character, and his feelings were relatable. I didn't cry much from this book, after reading reviews I thought it would be a real tear jerker. It was however, sentimental and brought up many emotions. A good book for anyone to read, but especially for those dealing with grief.
Heart wrenching.
WARNING:
Even if you despise books that make you cry like a two-year old who just dropped her ice cream cone in the sand, you can still enjoy this book.
Conor O'Malley is thirteen and his mother is gravely ill. He's bullied at school, ignored by his teachers and other students, and it doesn't seem to bother him. What does bother him, besides his overbearing grandmother, is the nightmare he has every night since his mother started her treatments.
One night after waking up from that nightmare, he is visited by a monster - the yew tree from the graveyard. The monster says he will tell him three stories.
"And when I have finished my three stories... you will tell me a fourth."
And so it goes. The monster tells him three stories of when he walked the earth before. As Conor's mother's health declines, the monster visits him one last time for the fourth story. The truth.
"You know that your truth, the one that you hide, Conor O'Malley, is the thing you are most afraid of."
This book captures the inexplicable feelings of dealing with grief, loss, guilt, and death, and describes it in such a profound way that you feel it deep in your gut.
"Conor's grief was a physical thing, gripping him like a clamp, clenching him tight as a muscle. He could barely breathe from the sheer effort of it, and he sank to the ground again, wishing it would just take him, once and for all."
The raw emotion is even more overwhelming if you read the author's note. Knowing that the idea for this book came from Siobhan Dowd who died from cancer before she could write it, is just the straw. It broke me. Okay, so I didn't actually cry, but I came close.
One note: You have to read the version with the illustrations. I began reading one without them, and it just didn't have the same effect.
Beautifully written. Made me cry several times. It's like a classic tale but also can be what you need it to be. And I'm thankful for that.
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