Our book club is back from summer-break and starting things off with a bang with Carlos Ruiz Zafron's The Prince of Mist. He is apparently well-known in the Young Adult genre - which is what this is classified as - as well as the adult market. His hopes, as he states in a letter to the reader, is that there will be a cross-over for fans, that young and old alike will appreciate all of his writing.
This month's book-picker has read Zafron before and loved it. While I didn't particularly "love" this, it kept me entertained while I read, spooked me to an appropriate degree (I usually hate being scared), and was well-written. It was also a short read so I was surprised I didn't finish it in a weekend; it actually took me quite awhile to complete this book.
The writing was a tad juvenile but I can hardly fault a Young Adult
novel for that. Max Carver, the son of a watchmaker in the 40's, is
suddenly moved with his family from the city to a remote beach that
holds a lot of dark secrets. In a spooky tale that combines sunken
ships, haunting spirits, crazy, unexplainable occurrences, creepy clowns
and circus freaks, strange symbols, and the appropriate degree of drama
and tragedy, The Prince of Mist is perfect for stormy, beach summer nights, or now - as Halloween stalks eerily closer.
While I found the story entertaining, it wasn't something that hooked me or even really sunk into my brain. Some books you read and feel like you're living them. I've even been so involved in books that I've dreamt them. The Prince of Mist wasn't like that. After picking up the book from the previous day, I'd have completely forgotten what happened and have to read the previous page to get my brain caught up. So when I'd look at the book, I wouldn't think, oh I have to find out what happens to this character. I'd think, I have no idea what is going on in this book right now.
I don't know if that speaks more to the book or my roller-coaster book-reading; sometimes I can't read enough books; sometimes I'm just not into it and would rather devour magazines and online articles instead.
The Prince of Mist doesn't take much effort, but it is ultimately worth it (there are few things I read that I think *aren't* worth it), and if you have the time, it is something that could conceivably be finished in a weekend. And - most important - it will definitely fit in your tote. It's a great book to ask to borrow from your kids when they're done.
