The Night Sky in my Head by Sarah Hammond
| The Night Sky in my Head by Sarah Hammond | |
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| Category: Confident Readers | |
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Reviewer: Loralei Haylock
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| Summary: An interesting read that almost fully deserves its comparisons to Skellig and Curious Incident. A very enjoyable murder mystery with a slightly supernatural twist. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 304 | Date: July 2012 |
| Publisher: Oxford University Press | |
| ISBN: 978-0192733191 | |
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Mikey Baxter isn't an ordinary fourteen-year-old. Ever since the accident, there's been the Backwards - shadows that come to life and reveal glimpses of the past. And Mikey's past isn't something he particularly wants to revisit. His dad did a bad thing, and now he's in jail. His mum isn't coping well, and it's up to Mikey to make sure she's okay.
But then he sees his dad in the shed, and for the first time, the Backwards Dad can see him too. Mikey is terrified, but this new development sets him on the path to find out what really happened the night his dad was arrested, and along the way he might just find out who killed a tramp and left his body in the river...
The Night Sky in my Head has been compared to both Skellig by David Almond and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon on the advance release review copy I received. High praise.
I can see where both comparisons come from. It features a troubled child, with unspecified learning or developmental difficulties. There is a murder mystery, like in Curious Incident. There are strong themes of friendship like in Skellig. All three texts have a certain level of whimsy in their writing and have strong crossover appeal.
I did enjoy The Night Sky in my Head. The mystery was intriguing, and the naive narrator did add an element of tension to the proceedings. More than once I felt the need to lean forward in my chair, like that would help Mikey make the right choice - so clear to me, but not so much for him. And that never really got irritating, like it does sometimes. I believed Mikey's naivety. I could understand his motives, his desperate desire for friendship and understanding pushing him into the way of negative relationships.
It's moving, and occasionally scary. Mikey's fear of facing the past is palpable, and a few sinister characters add to that sense of danger that weaves throughout the more innocent events.
But while it was a good read, and I had no trouble sitting for a couple of hours and reading it straight through, it lacked a certain something to elevate it to the level of Curious Incident or Skellig. Perhaps the comparison set my expectations too high, but it felt like Hammond was occasionally trying too hard to create her character voice. Her use of capitals to show frustration annoyed me, and sometimes the character quirks felt more like a neon sign saying 'Look! My character is unusual!' than elegant prose.
Still, a book very deserving of the four stars I've given it, and I will definitely be looking out for more novels by Hammond. I readily recommend this to anyone who enjoys a mystery story with a slightly supernatural twist.
My thanks to the publishers for sending a copy.
As well as Skellig and Curious Incident, something about The Night Sky in my Head reminded me a little of Holes by Louis Sachar - if you enjoy books with a slightly quirky, supernatural twist, give this fabulous book a go.
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You can read more book reviews or buy The Night Sky in my Head by Sarah Hammond at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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