I just recently finished reading this book, and it has become one of my absolute favourite novels and while I enjoy pretty much every book that I read, I don’t have all that many absolute favourites. Having said that, I’m actually finding it quite hard to explain this book and why I like it so much.
The whole novel is written in the first person by protagonist Mathew Homes who has decided to write up the story of his life while staying at a mental health care home. It’s a very interesting and unique style, and you get a very strong sense of Mathew’s voice and personality, which in turn really makes you learn to care about him, his friends and his family a lot, I think.
Furthermore, the story of Mathew’s life is told in a very non-linear way, which actually makes things a lot more interesting. One moment he’ll be telling you all about something happened in his early childhood, and the chapter will end on a cliffhanger of sorts, then the next chapter he’ll be writing more about his current life, which then will be equally exciting, so you’ll be happy with the chapter that follows regardless of which era of his life it’s covering. This is the part I struggle to explain the most. It’s as if each new chapter is a new puzzle piece in the picture of Mathew’s life, and since it’s such a beautiful picture, you don’t mind if the pieces aren’t near one another, the good thing is getting a better idea of the overall picture.
What this book is very good at doing, is making you worry about its main character. Mathew is, most of the time, very rational and agreeable, but then all of a sudden he’ll start writing about his delusions and things which are very clearly not real, and it makes you a little uneasy, just as it would if one of your close friends started telling you about something which clearly was not based in reality. Also his self-hatred and doubt is something that I imagine anybody could relate to. The whole thing is very emotional, and very well written. I realise, I still haven’t really said that much about the book, but, it really is fantastic.
Rating: 9.5/10
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