The story was interesting – like nothing I have ever read before in terms of style or content. With everything written from Brio’s point of view, the reader got a real sense of his state of mind and exactly what he was going through at each step in the narrative. I really did not know what was going to happen at the conclusion of the novel – it really could have gone either way
I liked the uniqueness of the scenario, which was way out of my comfort zone but I felt like I learnt quite a lot about identity and childhood trauma. I liked how the various events triggered different emotions in Brio – he wanted to feel rage at certain points but could only register love.
I did not enjoy the parts of the story where we have to read Brio’s Hoggit story. I understand why it was necessary as an attempt to release broken memories and heal Brio’s state of mind but I did not look forward to reading them. The childish names were annoying. I also found it hard to know where we were geographically. I think it was set on the Isle of Man but got no descriptions of surroundings to give context. This was sad as the Isle of Man has a big place in my heart. Again I can understand the writer’s reasons for this. Why would Brio describe his visual surroundings?
The story did grab me from page one. I really felt I was in a US high school drama with a tense bullying and name-calling opening. I was immediately empathetic towards Brio and his plight and was willing him to find out what happened to his father. I liked that he had Izzy to look after him and provide another point of view.
