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Title: If only grown-up books were this good
Review: I certainly wasn't expecting this fairly obscure and underrated children's book to be anywhere near as good as it is. Ignore the clichéd and pedestrian opening chapters - from there onwards the narrative opens up into a breathtaking and powerful coming-of-age story, by turns charming, sinister and exhilarating.Said knows how to keep a narrative moving effortlessly and it's a shame that few adult novels manage to be so frightening or uplifting. There are strong female characters, dastardly villains and glorious set pieces and it's no insult to say that parts of this novel reminded me of both Watership Down and Kafka on the Shore. An added bonus were the atmospheric illustrations by Dave McKean, who really understands how cats move.Personally, it impressed me far more than Harry Potter or His Dark Materials and would be my pick for best children's story of recent years.
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