But I was determined to give her a chance as people all around me were saying how great the story was. When her second book 'The Light Jar' was released the fuss was even bigger. I got it in a deal in my local Tesco and put it on my 'to read' pile and there it stayed.
I gave it a chance just two or three days ago. Having finished it today, I can say that I see why people around me were raving about it. The story has a much stronger start, with central character Nathaniel escaping in the middle of the night with his mum Fiona. They hole up in an abandoned cottage that mum managed to get access to.
They start to make a home there in the following 24 hours, but when mum goes out for shopping and doesn't return, Nate is left to fend for himself. Cue the return of his imaginary friend Sam from his toddler years and the sudden appearance of the mysterious Kitty, who is on a mission to complete a treasure hunt started out by her friend Charlotte, who was unable to finish it herself.
Nate is left to cope on his own, whilst helping Kitty and working with Sam to try and reason out where Mum could possibly be. All the while he is running from the possible reality that Mum could've been caught by the very monster of a man she and Nate were running from.
As Nate's story unfolds we are made to feel the very pain of what it would've been like to live in an oppressive environment. The characters are real, not overly dramatic or lazily done. The plot is fairly straightforward, with a couple of twists and turns but ultimately I guessed several major plot points well before they were revealed. I felt far too clever for my own good!
The human drama element of it was the big hook for me. Mum's relationship with the frightening Gary, Kitty's tragic family history, Nate's companionship with Sam: it is all painted with a vivid brush that makes you feel and see it's colour.
There are no ludicrously difficult words but the sentences are well constructed. It's near 300 pages don't feel like too much of a tax on your time. If you're anything like me you get through it quite quickly as the flow is so smooth. There are no real throwaway lines in the book at all. It does pack a couple of chilling moments though so I don't know if I would recommend it to children below the age of 8.
I'm already looking forward to reading it again to my son, who I know has been enjoying it so far as much as I have. Such a shame that I had to jump ahead and read the entire thing to myself first! I'm kind of sorry/not sorry!
A book written by a female author, this is book number 29 on my list and proof that you should always give things a second chance.
Book Title: The Light Jar
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