This is a tragic, yet hauntingly beautiful story. Undoubtedly it is an extremely impressive and well-crafted book with the use of a peculiar, fragmented sentence structure and bizarre descriptions that make the narration style distinctively beautiful. The main characters use of fairytales to describe situations made the storyline even more gripping and mysterious.
“Once upon a time there was a king who had three beautiful daughters.
No, no, wait.
Once upon a time there were three bears who lived in a wee house in the woods.
Once upon a time there were three soldiers, tramping together down the road after the war.
Once upon a time there were three little pigs.
Once upon a time there were three brothers.
No, this is it. This is the variation I want.”
Layering the book in this way creates an unreliable narrator, thus forcing you to question the main characters account of events that occur in the book. This increased the sense of mystery and suspicion, leaving me constantly questioning everything. Although this can be annoying for some, tormenting the reader in this way makes the ending of the book so satisfying. There is a moment where everything clicks into place and it was delightful.
An outstanding part of the book is the crucial element the side characters held in the book. They appeared so significant to the story and a core element to the main characters personality yet there was so much confusion surrounding why. If anything, they seem more relatable than the main character which makes the book that much more unique. The story was so strange in this way that it increases your desire to piece everything together.
I would highly recommend this book if you needed to escape a reading slump as it is a fast read that will exceed your expectations. You must experience this book for yourself as there is a twist you will not see coming but once it does you will persuade yourself you did.