Okay, it's official. I just don't get it. The blurb inside the front cover says that this is, "The hilarious and touching novel narrated by an eleven-year-old boy who is visited by his father's ghost."Actually, I do get most of that. It's the hilarious that has me scratching my head. I thought this book was dark and clever and, yes, touching. Also very sad. But hilarious? It must be that British sense of humor that's over my head.
The story is a riff on Hamlet. The boy is Philip Noble (Noble! Get it? Maybe that's hilarious). His father's ghost tells him that the father was murdered by his brother, Philip's uncle, and that it's Philip's duty to murder the uncle. There are plenty of Hamlet parallels for those who want to look for them. Some of them are subtle, some aren't. I guess that's fun. Mostly though, I was just depressed.
I'm also not sure whether this is supposed to be a book for adults or younger readers. I don't think the youngsters will get it, but I could be wrong. And I should warn you that Philip seems to have learned to write by reading Cormac McCarthy.
I have to admit it's different. I don't think anyone would disagree with that, and maybe you'd find it more congenial than I did.
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