Imaginary Friend
From the author of The Perks Of Being a Wallflower
-
-
3.9 • 23 Ratings
-
-
- £3.99
-
- £3.99
Publisher Description
'Astonishing ... Genius ... A masterpiece'
EMMA WATSON
'Haunting and thrilling'
JOHN GREEN, author of THE FAULT IN OUR STARS
* * * * *
IMAGINE...
Leaving your house in the middle of the night.
Knowing your mother is doing her best, but she's just as scared as you.
IMAGINE...
Starting a new school, making friends.
Seeing how happy it makes your mother.
Hearing a voice, calling out to you.
IMAGINE...
Following the signs, into the woods.
Going missing for six days.
Remembering nothing about what happened.
IMAGINE...
Something that will change everything...
And having to save everyone you love.
* * * * *
'Unputdownable ... You'll fall in love with these characters. That's why they stay with you, like a haunting.'
R. J. PALACIO, author of WONDER
'An extraordinary book. The pages practically turn themselves.'
GREER HENDRICKS & SARAH PEKKANEN, authors of THE WIFE BETWEEN US
'A fearsome, remarkably ambitious novel that breaks through the boundaries of the genre to become epic - in all the best senses of the word."
LINCOLN CHILD, #1 New York Times bestseller
'A simply extraordinary reading experience. Utterly unique. A tremendous read, every bit worth the wait.'
BLAKE CROUCH, author of DARK MATTER
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This book feels like a true literary event. Since the 1999 release of the incendiary and wildly entertaining The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky has carved a successful career writing and directing for screen. Befitting the arc of a man compelled to explore diverse new projects at every turn, his return to novel writing is a horror story. And a horror so scary even Stephen King might not want to read at night. Chbosky introduces us to single mother Kate who, with her son Christopher, flees an abusive relationship to start a new life. Christopher then mysteriously disappears only to return six days later seemingly physically fine—but mentally scarred. We don’t want to give too much more away, but from here it’s as unsettling and innovative a horror tale as we’ve come across in some time. We’re rattled even imagining the movie adaptation…
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Chbosky's ambitious second novel (after 1999's The Perks of Being a Wallflower) is a tale of good vs. evil that never gels. Seven-year-old Christopher and his mother, Kate, move to Mill Grove, Pa., after Kate leaves her abusive boyfriend. Kate gets a job at an old folks' home, and Christopher, who has a learning disability, starts second grade and makes friends with a boy nicknamed Special Ed. One day, Christopher disappears into the Mission Street Woods; he emerges six days later, unscathed but his learning disability has disappeared. Kate then wins the lottery and buys a new house bordering the woods, where a disembodied voice tells Christopher to build a tree house. Before long, Christopher gets debilitating headaches and strange revelations, a mysterious sickness spreads throughout the community, and a terrifying entity dubbed "the hissing lady" lurks around town. Chbosky brings deep humanity to his characters and creates genuinely unsettling tableaux, including a nightmarish otherworld that Christopher accesses via his treehouse, but considerable repetition extends the narrative while diminishing its impact. Christian overtones (some subtle, others less so) are pervasive, especially in the finale, and add little to the story. This doorstopper is long on words but short on execution.
Customer Reviews
A great idea but why the infuriating use of cApiTal lEtTers???
For about the first half of the book I was intrigued and interested, it seemed well written and original. Then i realised its the story of stranger things!! The imaginary world is the upside down.it also just got really long and drawn out.
There was lots of repetition, and for seemingly no reason, when the nice man is either speaking or the story is about him the writer suddenly uses a weird mix of capitals in the middle of words. WHY??? I’ve given it one less star for this, as it nearly made me stop reading. I carried on though to see if there was an explanation...... there wasn’t!!!
That was a very long slog. It did have some really scary bits in though, I would recommend to read the first half, then give up and google the ending.
Such a shame as I felt it had promise.