Penpal ~ Dathan Auerbach
★★★☆☆
How far can you go into the woods?
This book had a great deal of potential, and I think that it did what it intended well enough, but I found it lacking towards the end and did not feel that many of the events toward the end were entirely necessary. Much of the plot felt convoluted and unbelievable, which took me out of the mystery and made me question the entire premise of the story. The writing was interesting because sometimes, especially in the beginning, I thought it was actually quite excellent, but as the story went on, it dragged and I often had to re-read entire paragraphs just to understand what was even happening. Generally, the philosophical waxing was done well but the actions were done terribly. One thing this book did very well was suspense. I was very intrigued by the mystery and really wanted to know how everything fit together.
The world is a cruel place made crueler still by man.
The story followed a nonlinear plot which often made the order of events very confusing, especially since the perspective and actions of the narrator when he was 4-6 or so did not read like a young child but rather like an older child or even an adult. Some elements felt very To Kill a Mockingbird, which I'm sure was intentional, but other times, it just didn't sync. The book had an excellent atmosphere, though, and the unsettling implications of the story were reminiscent of Sadie by Courtney Summers. The themes of the book were also very well done (for the most part) and the subtext was well crafted throughout.
Sometimes forgetting is the gift that we give ourselves.
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