Book Review: Imaginary Friend
By patgalca
@patgalca (18181)
Orangeville, Ontario
May 18, 2020 1:06am CST
Oh boy, I really don't know what to say about this book. I saw this book all over the internet in 2019, thought it was all the rage. Then a friend gave me her copy. I was intimidated by the 700+ pages but I decided to give it a go.
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[/i]Single mother Kate Reese is on the run. Determined to improve life for herself and her son, Christopher, she flees an abusive relationship in the middle of the night with her child. Together, they find themselves drawn to the tight-knight community of Mill Grove, Pennsylvania. It's as far off the beaten track as they can get. Just one highway in, one highway out.[i]
[/i]At first it seems like the perfect place to finally settle down. Then Christopher vanishes. For six long days no one can find him. Until Christopher emerges from the woods at the edge of town, unharmed but not unchanged. He returns with a voice in his head only he can hear, with a mission only he can complete: Build a tree house in the woods by Christmas, or his mother and everyone in the town will never be the same again.[i]
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What I didn't know about this book was the genre. The synopsis above seemed intriguing enough. I love a good thriller. Way down on the back of the book I saw the word "Fiction". That's not exactly a genre. Half-way through the book I looked at the back again and saw the word "horror". Oh geez, I don't care for horror. Yes, this story gave me a few restless nights and some tense feelings in my stomach. I am not a horror fan nor am I a fan of fantasy, which this most definitely is. If you are into those things than you will probably love this book. Yet it kept me hooked.
I am not one to give up on a book. I read it right until the end even though I stopped understanding what was going on about 5/6ths of the way through (it's broken down into 6 parts). I still don't know what I just read. But... it is probably a fantastic read for those who like those genres. And I did give it 3 stars after all. And I couldn't put it down. And if you've read my reviews I love short chapters and with 135 of them they were all reasonably short. But I'll be damned if I could explain one iota of this story.
To me it was nice small town story, meets fantasy, meets horror, meets zombies (except they weren't zombies). I'll let you be your own judge.
2 people like this
4 responses
@cherriefic (10400)
• Philippines
18 May 20
The cover looks interesting enough and I like the title.
1 person likes this
@cherriefic (10400)
• Philippines
19 May 20
@patgalca So it means that it has a different plot? That was unexpected!
1 person likes this
@patgalca (18181)
• Orangeville, Ontario
19 May 20
@cherriefic I wrote the synopsis in the original post. The kid was held in the woods for 6 days by this imaginary friend who he kept listening to and kept going back to. The imaginary friend told Christopher he was God and would save the world because everyone was going to die on Christmas.
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (45514)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
18 May 20
If it hooked you even though you're not a fan of this type of book, it must be well-written. But 700+ pages! Must weigh a ton.
1 person likes this
@patgalca (18181)
• Orangeville, Ontario
18 May 20
It is soft cover, but yeah, a little hard to hold with one hand when you're trying to relax and read. Pretty much have to sit up with it on your lap. LOL.
That's why I worded it the way it did. Yes, it kept me hooked and it may be great for someone who likes those genres.
1 person likes this
