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The Boy Who Drew Monsters
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Child comes a hypnotic literary horror novel about a young boy trapped inside his own world, whose drawings blur the lines between fantasy and reality.
Ever since he nearly drowned in the ocean three years earlier, ten-year-old Jack Peter Keenan has been deathly afraid to venture outdoors. Refusing to leave his home in a small coastal town in Maine, Jack Peter spends his time drawing monsters. When those drawings take on a life of their own, no one is safe from the terror they inspire. His mother, Holly, begins to hear strange sounds in the night coming from the ocean, and she seeks answers from the local Catholic priest and his Japanese housekeeper, who fill her head with stories of shipwrecks and ghosts. His father, Tim, wanders the beach, frantically searching for a strange apparition running wild in the dunes. And the boy’s only friend, Nick, becomes helplessly entangled in the eerie power of the drawings. While those around Jack Peter are haunted by what they think they see, only he knows the truth behind the frightful occurrences as the outside world encroaches upon them all.
In the tradition of The Turn of the Screw, Keith Donohue’s The Boy Who Drew Monsters is a mesmerizing tale of psychological terror and imagination run wild, a perfectly creepy read for a dark night.
Ever since he nearly drowned in the ocean three years earlier, ten-year-old Jack Peter Keenan has been deathly afraid to venture outdoors. Refusing to leave his home in a small coastal town in Maine, Jack Peter spends his time drawing monsters. When those drawings take on a life of their own, no one is safe from the terror they inspire. His mother, Holly, begins to hear strange sounds in the night coming from the ocean, and she seeks answers from the local Catholic priest and his Japanese housekeeper, who fill her head with stories of shipwrecks and ghosts. His father, Tim, wanders the beach, frantically searching for a strange apparition running wild in the dunes. And the boy’s only friend, Nick, becomes helplessly entangled in the eerie power of the drawings. While those around Jack Peter are haunted by what they think they see, only he knows the truth behind the frightful occurrences as the outside world encroaches upon them all.
In the tradition of The Turn of the Screw, Keith Donohue’s The Boy Who Drew Monsters is a mesmerizing tale of psychological terror and imagination run wild, a perfectly creepy read for a dark night.
273 pages, Hardcover
First published October 7, 2014
About the author
Keith Donohue
15 books365 followersKeith Donohue is an American novelist. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he earned his B.A. and M.A. from Duquesne University and his Ph.D. in English from The Catholic University of America.
Currently he is Director of Communications for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the grant-making arm of the U. S. National Archives in Washington, DC. Until 1998 he worked at the National Endowment for the Arts and wrote speeches for chairmen John Frohnmayer and Jane Alexander, and has written articles for the New York Times, Washington Post, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and other newspapers.
Currently he is Director of Communications for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the grant-making arm of the U. S. National Archives in Washington, DC. Until 1998 he worked at the National Endowment for the Arts and wrote speeches for chairmen John Frohnmayer and Jane Alexander, and has written articles for the New York Times, Washington Post, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and other newspapers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,132 reviews
July 7, 2018
3.5 spooky stars.
here's a little backstory about me and the books of keith donohue. when The Stolen Child came out, i read the flap and thought "ooooh, that sounds amazing!" and i bought it. in hardcover. when Angels of Destruction came out, i did the same thing. when Centuries of June came out, i did the same thing. and i just never got around to actually reading any of them. when i saw this one on netgalley i thought "aha! i will request it and then i will be forced to read it because of the tick tock of the netgalley clock," which is somehow more of a commitment than having spent $75 on these unread books. and i waited and waited for approval, and then BEA happened and i ended up snagging a copy while i was there, only to go home and find my netgalley approval waiting for me, which meant that now i had even more of a push to read it.
so i can't tell you how this one stacks up against his other books, but i can tell you how it stacks up against what i imagined his books would be like, and overall my assessment is "good but not mind-blowing." it never gave me that brain-shudder that i was looking for, but it's still a good, spooky story.
it's in the same family as the dark fabulist/literary ghost stories of jonathan carroll or jeffrey ford, with the psychological suspense and ambiguity of The Turn of the Screw, but without all that tedious restraint. it's about a ten-year-old autistic boy named jack; aka jack peter, j.p., or jip, whose various appellations are rotated as frequently as in the same paragraph, which tic i personally found a little irritating, but no biggie.
three years ago, jack (which is the only name i am going to use in this review, for clarity) nearly drowned in the ocean while swimming with his friend nick, and since then, he has refused to leave the house, throwing a fit on those occasions when he is forced to go to the doctor, and retreating for long stretches into his mind. he is not keen on being touched, and although nick still comes over to play, where they engage in intense bursts of obsessive interests, jack's only creative outlet is drawing. and mostly what he draws are monsters - the same monsters that he claims are waiting to get him if he steps outside.
jack and nick's parents were friends before the boys were born, although they have drifted apart due to the differences in their lives' paths - nick's parents are boozy and free, while jack's parents have been worn down by the restrictions jack's condition has put on them. raising a child who doesn't respond to a mother's caresses is hard enough, but compounded with his agoraphobia means that one of them always has to stay behind in the house with him, which leads to financial difficulties and also creates a powderkeg of claustrophobia. there's some jealousy and resentment bubbling under the surface of the couples' interactions, along with some still-tender backstory, and jack's parents see in nick the son that could have been.
add monsters to this mix, and things are going to get tricky.
gradually, strange things start to happen. jack's father sees what he believes to be a naked man in the middle of the road on a frigid maine night. jack's mother hears inexplicable pounding noises in the dead of night. icy patches form on the stairs inside the house. bones are found on their property. a giant white wolflike dog is seen in the neighborhood.
as these things are occurring, jack's artistic output increases, and nick begins to notice a correlation between the images jack is drawing and the apparitions. but is jack drawing what he sees, or is there a more frightening connection?
donohue does a really good job with the pacing. it's a nice steady and slow start, while we get our bearings and our character development, and where the uncanny elements are seen out of the corner of the reader's eye, but then they become more and more present, escalating in intensity and frequency as the story progresses.
everything comes to a rolling boil when nick's parents go off on a cruise and leave him behind to stay with jack's family during a spectacular blizzard, leading to an ending i had mostly predicted, but it was still satisfying and much more touchingly-written than i had anticipated.
a few little things frustrated me. i never understand why it often takes SO LONG in horror books and movies for people to get to the point where they can admit that weird shit is happening. jack's dad = seeing and hearing weird shit. jack's mom = seeing and hearing weird shit. so why would they refuse to believe the others' account of weird shit? and yet both are skeptical of each other, despite their own experiences. i understand denial, but there comes a point where you really should be having that conversation.
and i read the arc, so maybe things will change in the finished version, but there were several instances where the characters seemed to backtrack - having revelations that i thought had already been established, which confused me, but it was just a minor stumble.
the book is - dare i say? - haunting, and while it didn't change my life or anything, i definitely still want to read all those hardcovers i grabbed so long ago, because he knows how to tell a story, and i want to see what else he's got in him.
come to my blog!
here's a little backstory about me and the books of keith donohue. when The Stolen Child came out, i read the flap and thought "ooooh, that sounds amazing!" and i bought it. in hardcover. when Angels of Destruction came out, i did the same thing. when Centuries of June came out, i did the same thing. and i just never got around to actually reading any of them. when i saw this one on netgalley i thought "aha! i will request it and then i will be forced to read it because of the tick tock of the netgalley clock," which is somehow more of a commitment than having spent $75 on these unread books. and i waited and waited for approval, and then BEA happened and i ended up snagging a copy while i was there, only to go home and find my netgalley approval waiting for me, which meant that now i had even more of a push to read it.
so i can't tell you how this one stacks up against his other books, but i can tell you how it stacks up against what i imagined his books would be like, and overall my assessment is "good but not mind-blowing." it never gave me that brain-shudder that i was looking for, but it's still a good, spooky story.
it's in the same family as the dark fabulist/literary ghost stories of jonathan carroll or jeffrey ford, with the psychological suspense and ambiguity of The Turn of the Screw, but without all that tedious restraint. it's about a ten-year-old autistic boy named jack; aka jack peter, j.p., or jip, whose various appellations are rotated as frequently as in the same paragraph, which tic i personally found a little irritating, but no biggie.
three years ago, jack (which is the only name i am going to use in this review, for clarity) nearly drowned in the ocean while swimming with his friend nick, and since then, he has refused to leave the house, throwing a fit on those occasions when he is forced to go to the doctor, and retreating for long stretches into his mind. he is not keen on being touched, and although nick still comes over to play, where they engage in intense bursts of obsessive interests, jack's only creative outlet is drawing. and mostly what he draws are monsters - the same monsters that he claims are waiting to get him if he steps outside.
jack and nick's parents were friends before the boys were born, although they have drifted apart due to the differences in their lives' paths - nick's parents are boozy and free, while jack's parents have been worn down by the restrictions jack's condition has put on them. raising a child who doesn't respond to a mother's caresses is hard enough, but compounded with his agoraphobia means that one of them always has to stay behind in the house with him, which leads to financial difficulties and also creates a powderkeg of claustrophobia. there's some jealousy and resentment bubbling under the surface of the couples' interactions, along with some still-tender backstory, and jack's parents see in nick the son that could have been.
add monsters to this mix, and things are going to get tricky.
gradually, strange things start to happen. jack's father sees what he believes to be a naked man in the middle of the road on a frigid maine night. jack's mother hears inexplicable pounding noises in the dead of night. icy patches form on the stairs inside the house. bones are found on their property. a giant white wolflike dog is seen in the neighborhood.
as these things are occurring, jack's artistic output increases, and nick begins to notice a correlation between the images jack is drawing and the apparitions. but is jack drawing what he sees, or is there a more frightening connection?
donohue does a really good job with the pacing. it's a nice steady and slow start, while we get our bearings and our character development, and where the uncanny elements are seen out of the corner of the reader's eye, but then they become more and more present, escalating in intensity and frequency as the story progresses.
everything comes to a rolling boil when nick's parents go off on a cruise and leave him behind to stay with jack's family during a spectacular blizzard, leading to an ending i had mostly predicted, but it was still satisfying and much more touchingly-written than i had anticipated.
a few little things frustrated me. i never understand why it often takes SO LONG in horror books and movies for people to get to the point where they can admit that weird shit is happening. jack's dad = seeing and hearing weird shit. jack's mom = seeing and hearing weird shit. so why would they refuse to believe the others' account of weird shit? and yet both are skeptical of each other, despite their own experiences. i understand denial, but there comes a point where you really should be having that conversation.
and i read the arc, so maybe things will change in the finished version, but there were several instances where the characters seemed to backtrack - having revelations that i thought had already been established, which confused me, but it was just a minor stumble.
the book is - dare i say? - haunting, and while it didn't change my life or anything, i definitely still want to read all those hardcovers i grabbed so long ago, because he knows how to tell a story, and i want to see what else he's got in him.
come to my blog!
November 21, 2015
"Listen," she commanded in a hoarse whisper, and he strained to discover what she had heard, but he could find no stray sound.
"There's someone in the house."
He heard nothing.
"Someone's walking around."
I love horror novels and especially one which seems to imitate Japanese horror. Donohue drenches every page of this spooky novel in grey atmospheric tones. He even adds a Japanese side character as a nod to the origins of his ideas.
Jack Peter is an autistic boy. He has refused to leave the house for three years, his parents covering him head-to-toe in a blanket just to get him to the doctor. Now 10, the boy has become increasingly agitated - convinced that monsters are under his bed and lurking around every corner. He hates to be touched and gives his mother a black eye when she wakes him unexpectedly.
His mother is desperate to get help and becoming more and more afraid of her son.
His father believes "this is just a phase" and "he'll get better."
The only thing that breaks Jack Peter's isolation is his friend down the street, Nicholas - who frequently comes over and spends copious amounts of time with Jack Peter, as they've known each other since they were babies.
But Jack Peter's dad is starting to see things. Big, thin, man-shaped things in the darkness. And Jack Peter's mother is starting to hear things - things trying to get into the house. As winter besets this bleak Maine town, can the monsters Jack Peter always talks about be real? And could they be the result of a horrific shipwreck that happened over a hundred years ago?
...
Autism novels have become quite a little subgenre. Whether they are set up with the autistic child (inevitably a boy, although I know females with autism in real life, in fiction they tend to be male as the ratio of autistic male to female is 4:1) as a hero, a brave soul facing the world alone, or whether they set up the autistic child as a genius (I once read a novel which suggested that autism is the next stage of evolution and autistic people are more advanced than neurotypicals and will one day surpass the neurotypical population and take over the world) it seems as if Autistic Child has become the new Magical Being in the realm of fiction.
This book is no exception. Jack Peter is obviously connected with the Other Realm in some way, or is hypersensitive to it because of his autism, and it's up to the readers to figure it out. I myself had four working theories while I was reading. It was quite fun.
And Donohue certainly doesn't romanticize the realities of having an autistic child who might not be on the high-functioning end of the spectrum. Jack Peter's parents' frustrations, fears, and struggles are constant and at the forefront. My friend's autistic son had to be put in a home when he became an adolescent - not because his mother was working and unable to care for him, but because of the beatings she suffered when he became too big and too strong for her to deal with his fits. Donohue touches on this by beginning his novel with 10-year-old Jack Peter slamming a fist into his mother's face when she wakes him - her bruise, like her worries about her son, blossoming and darkening as the novel goes on.
That's combined with the fact that she desperately wants help and support with her son and his behavior, but she has to fight her overly optimistic husband every step of the way. He's convinced that one day he'll have "a normal boy" and nothing in Jack Peter's increasingly erratic behavior can persuade him otherwise.
But don't be distracted by the harsh realities of life. This book is absolutely supernatural and absolutely creepy - filled with ghosts, monsters, and things that go bump in the night. It's a stellar horror that leaves you reeling and guessing. Donohue is a master at painting vivid scenes that are straight out of Infection or Ju-On or Ringu or Dark Water. (I'm talking about the Japanese versions here, not the Americanized ones - although I quite enjoyed both American films The Ring and The Grudge.)
Tl;dr - A great atmospheric horror in the well-known Japanese style. Grey, dripping, and with something moving in the attic - reading this in the house alone at night is a terrific idea. I savored every morsel of it.
I'm definitely going to be reading this a second time.
P.S. I know a few autistic people, one of them rather well. If you are the parent of or otherwise related to an autistic person, I can really understand being pissed off at how autistic people are portrayed in the media. It's also clear in my mind that they are becoming some sort of mythical Magical Being in fiction right now, and I'm not sure that this is doing anyone any favors. I have yet to read what I feel is a nuanced and non-exploitative novel with an autistic main character. Creating more female autistic main characters would also be welcome to this reader.
P.P.S. UPDATE: 11/21/2015
Upon reading many reviews of this on GR, I have realized that the summary gives a bit of a spoiler. Going in, I had no idea that I had to figure that out on my own. So perhaps that doubled or even tripled the excitement and happiness I was getting on reading this.
My advice: Go in blind.
"There's someone in the house."
He heard nothing.
"Someone's walking around."
I love horror novels and especially one which seems to imitate Japanese horror. Donohue drenches every page of this spooky novel in grey atmospheric tones. He even adds a Japanese side character as a nod to the origins of his ideas.
Jack Peter is an autistic boy. He has refused to leave the house for three years, his parents covering him head-to-toe in a blanket just to get him to the doctor. Now 10, the boy has become increasingly agitated - convinced that monsters are under his bed and lurking around every corner. He hates to be touched and gives his mother a black eye when she wakes him unexpectedly.
His mother is desperate to get help and becoming more and more afraid of her son.
His father believes "this is just a phase" and "he'll get better."
The only thing that breaks Jack Peter's isolation is his friend down the street, Nicholas - who frequently comes over and spends copious amounts of time with Jack Peter, as they've known each other since they were babies.
But Jack Peter's dad is starting to see things. Big, thin, man-shaped things in the darkness. And Jack Peter's mother is starting to hear things - things trying to get into the house. As winter besets this bleak Maine town, can the monsters Jack Peter always talks about be real? And could they be the result of a horrific shipwreck that happened over a hundred years ago?
...
Autism novels have become quite a little subgenre. Whether they are set up with the autistic child (inevitably a boy, although I know females with autism in real life, in fiction they tend to be male as the ratio of autistic male to female is 4:1) as a hero, a brave soul facing the world alone, or whether they set up the autistic child as a genius (I once read a novel which suggested that autism is the next stage of evolution and autistic people are more advanced than neurotypicals and will one day surpass the neurotypical population and take over the world) it seems as if Autistic Child has become the new Magical Being in the realm of fiction.
This book is no exception. Jack Peter is obviously connected with the Other Realm in some way, or is hypersensitive to it because of his autism, and it's up to the readers to figure it out. I myself had four working theories while I was reading. It was quite fun.
And Donohue certainly doesn't romanticize the realities of having an autistic child who might not be on the high-functioning end of the spectrum. Jack Peter's parents' frustrations, fears, and struggles are constant and at the forefront. My friend's autistic son had to be put in a home when he became an adolescent - not because his mother was working and unable to care for him, but because of the beatings she suffered when he became too big and too strong for her to deal with his fits. Donohue touches on this by beginning his novel with 10-year-old Jack Peter slamming a fist into his mother's face when she wakes him - her bruise, like her worries about her son, blossoming and darkening as the novel goes on.
That's combined with the fact that she desperately wants help and support with her son and his behavior, but she has to fight her overly optimistic husband every step of the way. He's convinced that one day he'll have "a normal boy" and nothing in Jack Peter's increasingly erratic behavior can persuade him otherwise.
But don't be distracted by the harsh realities of life. This book is absolutely supernatural and absolutely creepy - filled with ghosts, monsters, and things that go bump in the night. It's a stellar horror that leaves you reeling and guessing. Donohue is a master at painting vivid scenes that are straight out of Infection or Ju-On or Ringu or Dark Water. (I'm talking about the Japanese versions here, not the Americanized ones - although I quite enjoyed both American films The Ring and The Grudge.)
Tl;dr - A great atmospheric horror in the well-known Japanese style. Grey, dripping, and with something moving in the attic - reading this in the house alone at night is a terrific idea. I savored every morsel of it.
I'm definitely going to be reading this a second time.
P.S. I know a few autistic people, one of them rather well. If you are the parent of or otherwise related to an autistic person, I can really understand being pissed off at how autistic people are portrayed in the media. It's also clear in my mind that they are becoming some sort of mythical Magical Being in fiction right now, and I'm not sure that this is doing anyone any favors. I have yet to read what I feel is a nuanced and non-exploitative novel with an autistic main character. Creating more female autistic main characters would also be welcome to this reader.
P.P.S. UPDATE: 11/21/2015
Upon reading many reviews of this on GR, I have realized that the summary gives a bit of a spoiler. Going in, I had no idea that I had to figure that out on my own. So perhaps that doubled or even tripled the excitement and happiness I was getting on reading this.
My advice: Go in blind.
December 1, 2014
I'm torn about giving this one star. I did not enjoy reading this book at all. It really dragged for me. The story just kept going in circles and I just wished it would be done with. I kept on only because I had to find out what this mystery was all about. Well, to my surprise, the ending completely caught me off guard. I gasped when I found out what was behind all the drawings. Sadly, the ending was not enough to make me overlook the rest of the book.
I don't want to throw any spoilers out there so I won't go into detail explaining the story. One thing that kept bugging me throughout the story was the author's use of "quirky words" that felt very unnatural, as if the author was trying hard to impress the reader with his use and knowledge of these words. An example of some of these words: zerberts, schlook, hulloed, disputations, susurrus. This words would not necessarily be used in normal day to day language, so their use felt contrived. The author used terms such as a conspiracy of ravens, a murder of crows, and ??? "a quiver of sharp pencils" as if people use these descriptions in normal dialogue. What!? Is there such a thing as a quiver of pencils?
The characters were not really likeable and I never felt like I got to know who they truly were. I was so fed up with this book that I was wishing a monster would just eat all the characters up.
Overall rating: one star
Ending: four stars
I don't want to throw any spoilers out there so I won't go into detail explaining the story. One thing that kept bugging me throughout the story was the author's use of "quirky words" that felt very unnatural, as if the author was trying hard to impress the reader with his use and knowledge of these words. An example of some of these words: zerberts, schlook, hulloed, disputations, susurrus. This words would not necessarily be used in normal day to day language, so their use felt contrived. The author used terms such as a conspiracy of ravens, a murder of crows, and ??? "a quiver of sharp pencils" as if people use these descriptions in normal dialogue. What!? Is there such a thing as a quiver of pencils?
The characters were not really likeable and I never felt like I got to know who they truly were. I was so fed up with this book that I was wishing a monster would just eat all the characters up.
Overall rating: one star
Ending: four stars
February 2, 2016
What an ending!! This book wasn't what I imagined and was different in a good way. I enjoyed this fiction novel like any other book that isn't real. I could sense the setting and see the house and sea in my mind just as if I were in the book, watching it play out as a spectator.
J.P was such a dynamic character and entirely too creepy for me. His friend Nick seemed to just be... there, like he didn't want to be. The parents were so blind to what was actually happening to the boys until the very end and wow! The ending totally caught me by surprise. It was definitely a cliffhanger, but a good one and I can deduce that it all ended up positive.
I would recommend this, it was a spooky and fun read. It was worth my time. Side note; I love the cover art and the title! Read this! You won't be sorry!
J.P was such a dynamic character and entirely too creepy for me. His friend Nick seemed to just be... there, like he didn't want to be. The parents were so blind to what was actually happening to the boys until the very end and wow! The ending totally caught me by surprise. It was definitely a cliffhanger, but a good one and I can deduce that it all ended up positive.
I would recommend this, it was a spooky and fun read. It was worth my time. Side note; I love the cover art and the title! Read this! You won't be sorry!
September 21, 2016
Uma leitura certamente diferente e muito interessante. Primeiro de tudo: EU ESTOU CHOCADO COM ESSE FINAL! Quando eu achei que era só isso mesmo, que a conclusão seria aquela, e tudo terminaria meia boca... JESUS AMADO. O tiro que eu levei.
O livro todo segue um ritmo lento e a escrita é bem densa, mas acho que isso acabou se tornando gostoso ao longo da leitura. Você se acostuma. O clima sombrio é muito bacana, e tudo parece meio surreal - isso é bom e ruim ao mesmo tempo. Bom porque faz dele um livro único, mas ruim porque me desprendeu um pouco do ambiente e dos personagens. Contraditório? Sim. Mas é como eu consigo explicar. É um bizarro que você aprecia, mas não se apega. Não achei os personagens, além do Jack, tão bem construídos assim, e senti que faltou um pouco de desenvolvimento.
Toda a temática mental relacionada aos problemas de Jack é abordada de uma forma incrível, e a questão dos desenhos me prendeu até o fim. O que me desapontou um pouco foi o fato da história ser bem repetitiva, com as mesmas coisas acontecendo várias vezes e irritando em vez de colaborar para o suspense. Esse foi o fato que me impediu de amar o livro.
Mais uma vez, a conclusão é maravilhosa e me deixou de queixo caído. Eu fiquei, literalmente com a boca aberta em "O" por um minuto inteiro. Fez total sentido à história e justificou absolutamente tudo. Um detalhe que uniu todas as "insanidades". E eu amei isso. Apesar da repetitividade, da lentidão e do sentimento de desprendimento, eu SUPER recomendo. É o primeiro livro que eu tenho coragem de usar a famosa frase: "espera que o final é muito bom e vale a pena".
O livro todo segue um ritmo lento e a escrita é bem densa, mas acho que isso acabou se tornando gostoso ao longo da leitura. Você se acostuma. O clima sombrio é muito bacana, e tudo parece meio surreal - isso é bom e ruim ao mesmo tempo. Bom porque faz dele um livro único, mas ruim porque me desprendeu um pouco do ambiente e dos personagens. Contraditório? Sim. Mas é como eu consigo explicar. É um bizarro que você aprecia, mas não se apega. Não achei os personagens, além do Jack, tão bem construídos assim, e senti que faltou um pouco de desenvolvimento.
Toda a temática mental relacionada aos problemas de Jack é abordada de uma forma incrível, e a questão dos desenhos me prendeu até o fim. O que me desapontou um pouco foi o fato da história ser bem repetitiva, com as mesmas coisas acontecendo várias vezes e irritando em vez de colaborar para o suspense. Esse foi o fato que me impediu de amar o livro.
Mais uma vez, a conclusão é maravilhosa e me deixou de queixo caído. Eu fiquei, literalmente com a boca aberta em "O" por um minuto inteiro. Fez total sentido à história e justificou absolutamente tudo. Um detalhe que uniu todas as "insanidades". E eu amei isso. Apesar da repetitividade, da lentidão e do sentimento de desprendimento, eu SUPER recomendo. É o primeiro livro que eu tenho coragem de usar a famosa frase: "espera que o final é muito bom e vale a pena".
October 23, 2014
Happy Spooktober, everyone!!
This book was provided to me care of the lovely karen and although my copy is an ARC, this came out on October 7th this year.
I wish I could say that I loved this story BUT I didn't. The premise of this story did so much more for me than it's actualization did.
Jack Peter is a unique boy, an inside boy.... he sits somewhere on the spectrum of Asperger's (Or, rather, this is the most consistent diagnosis his parents have come across). As is often the case in such instances, Jack is misunderstood and disregarded A LOT.
Jack is an artist. He doesn't just draw any old thing though, he draws monsters. Very vivid monsters.
I was underwhelmed by the execution of this story.
What should have been an easy four star story for me, I mean it has creepy children, monsters, parents who are majorly fucking up BUT trying - every day. still. trying - and mental health insinuations , I was disappointed to discover that there wasn't really a plot here. OR if there is a plot it is one I guessed so early on that I don't actually register it as one.
I admit the very last chapter threw me a bit, however, even that wasn't enough to wow me out of a dull sense of unease. I'm not sure what Donohue was trying to accomplish here but I feel like either he missed his mark OR I'm just not smart enough to figure it out.
There were also bizarre elements that never really came to fruition. Perhaps I just lost interest so much that I couldn't realise when they did.
Or maybe it's just me.....
November 7, 2018
This book was thoroughly creepy and unsettling and I loved every minute of it! I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this up but I'm so glad I did. It raised all the hairs on the back of my neck in the very best way possible. I couldn't stop turning the pages once I started reading and I was on the edge of my seat the whole way through, wondering what kind of terrifying scenes Jack Peter would come up with next. And that ending was one HELL of a twist, my jaw literally dropped and I had to go back and reread the last pages because my mind just couldn't deal with what had just been revealed! This book was spectacularly chilling and eerie and has left me completely unnerved!
August 7, 2015
This book is another that I might include on the shelf I don't really have but keep threatening to start: "Horror, Sort-Of".
The book has an interesting idea and there are a few moment's of mild horror I suppose. The thing about horror/terror is that it's rather subjective. What I find horror you may not. what you find horror I may not.
It's no spoiler (as it's in the synopsis) that the book concerns a boy who's drawings of monsters begin to come (in some sense) alive. The book however is really constructed around another central idea.
Since Jack and his best friend Nick "almost" drowned 3 years ago Jack has been filled with an unexplainable fear. he fears to go outside and can even become violent if touched. As time goes on Jack's mother begins to here strange noises in the night. Jack's dad is searching for the strange "monster" that seems to be running around...and Nick, Jack's best friend is caught up in the mess...
If I say anymore I'll give the game away. The thing is I was never "frightened", I was never drawn into the book. I was mostly a little bored by the book.
While I suspect you may figure the book's secret out before the "reveal" I will say that it is a good hook. Its just that in the end (for me anyway) the climax we lead up to fell short. There wasn't really a good enthralling build up to a good climax.
I guess try it yourself. Many like it a lot, so it may simply be a matter of taste.
The book has an interesting idea and there are a few moment's of mild horror I suppose. The thing about horror/terror is that it's rather subjective. What I find horror you may not. what you find horror I may not.
It's no spoiler (as it's in the synopsis) that the book concerns a boy who's drawings of monsters begin to come (in some sense) alive. The book however is really constructed around another central idea.
Since Jack and his best friend Nick "almost" drowned 3 years ago Jack has been filled with an unexplainable fear. he fears to go outside and can even become violent if touched. As time goes on Jack's mother begins to here strange noises in the night. Jack's dad is searching for the strange "monster" that seems to be running around...and Nick, Jack's best friend is caught up in the mess...
If I say anymore I'll give the game away. The thing is I was never "frightened", I was never drawn into the book. I was mostly a little bored by the book.
While I suspect you may figure the book's secret out before the "reveal" I will say that it is a good hook. Its just that in the end (for me anyway) the climax we lead up to fell short. There wasn't really a good enthralling build up to a good climax.
I guess try it yourself. Many like it a lot, so it may simply be a matter of taste.
December 24, 2017
This is a quick suspenseful read with a bit of horror thrown into the mix. The plot is somewhat predictable and none of the twists and turns managed to surprise me. This book tries to be scary and fails, tries to be a thriller and fails but if you’re looking for a nicely paced quick read with a supernatural theme, it’s not a bad way to spend your afternoon.
January 21, 2016
A-Z and PopSugar Challenges with Karly and Jess
A book with bad reviews - The Boy Who Drew Monsters
D = Donohue, Keith
2.5 stars
Jack Peter is an unusual boy. An inside boy. A boy who likes to draw monsters.
Jack (I'm going to call him Jack because who the hell calls their kid 'Jack Peter' or Jip) is withdrawn. Aside from his parents and his best friend [of necessity] Nick, he has no social interaction with the outside world. Not only does Jack have Asperger's, but he has also been Agoraphobic since the age of 7 after he and Nick nearly drowned in the ocean.
Lately however, Jack has been more out of control than ever, withdrawing into himself, hitting his mother, hiding things from his parents, and drawing furiously. Even Jack's parents Tim and Holly have been acting strangely, seeing strange shadows and pale, naked, man-like figures running around in the streets or hearing things go bump in the night. Are ghosts haunting this family and driving them mad, or is something even more remarkable going on?
So, I can't say that I disliked this book. The concept was unique and intriguing and the pacing was good, but the execution failed. With fine tuning, I think this could have been really good. BUT, there are many issues that could not be overlooked:
-plot kept going in circles
-unnecessarily delayed explanations
-subplots that have no apparent significance
My BIGGEST pet peeve however was his obvious overuse of as thesaurus. A word here and there, fine, I get that, but these were used to create utter messes of sentences.
"Beneath the map light, she checked in the rearview mirror for any trace of blood on her face, and satisfied that she removed all evidence, she stepped into the gloaming."
"She sang in the shower, moved with elan through her morning ablutions."
"No sound at all but the susurrus of snow..."
(Image sent to me by the lovely Karly)
Apparently Donohue's other works are popular and his writing style (aside from his love of the thesaurus) isn't bad, so I am open to reading him again.
I received an arc copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley!
December 18, 2014
“There are moments when even to the sober eye of reason, the world of our sad humanity may assume the semblance of Hell. ”
----Edgar Allan Poe
Keith Donohue, an American best-selling novelist, spun a remarkable story called, The Boy Who Drew Monsters that our sane minds will dare to read it.
Synopsis:
Ever since he nearly drowned in the ocean three years earlier, ten-year-old Jack Peter Keenan has been deathly afraid to venture outdoors. Refusing to leave his home in a small coastal town in Maine, Jack Peter spends his time drawing monsters. When those drawings take on a life of their own, no one is safe from the terror they inspire. His mother, Holly, begins to hear strange sounds in the night coming from the ocean, and she seeks answers from the local Catholic priest and his Japanese housekeeper, who fill her head with stories of shipwrecks and ghosts. His father, Tim, wanders the beach, frantically searching for a strange apparition-running wild in the dunes. In addition, the boy’s only friend, Nick, becomes helplessly entangled in the eerie power of the drawings. While those around Jack Peter are haunted by what they think they see, only he knows the truth behind the frightful occurrences as the outside world encroaches upon them all.
Jack Peter Keenan, a 10-year-old Asperger disorder boy, loves to draw, trapped inside his own mind. Three years ago, Jack and his best friend, Nick, nearly drowned and from that time, Jack has become unsocial and never goes out of his house. However, surprisingly, now it seems his drawings are coming to life, especially monsters, and haunting his parents to death. Only Jack holds the key to this strange mystery.
This story is not only about fear and about monsters, but it also focuses on infidelity, trust, relationships, parenthood, sanity and superstitions. I felt mesmerized by Donohue's elegant use of the retrospective voice, which is always questioning its own accuracy, exploring the nature of memory, of the narratives we tell ourselves about ourselves, and others. Well unfortunately, the first part of the story progressed bit slowly, where we get to see Jack's parents getting accustomed with the essence of supernatural around them. This is where we also see how the author developed his characters with depth. Jack's father's issues- his weakness towards Nick's mother, displayed quite sharply, whereas Jack's mother is still in doubt with her mother hood and being a good mother to Jack. The second part moved with great pace and this where the story gathered momentum and I felt myself rooted to the very core of the story. Another disappointment would be the author could not lay out his scary scenes intricately/strikingly. The monster running through the hills or around Jack's house compound did not scare me at all.
The characters were though fictional but sounded very realistic to me, moreover, Donohue has a deep psychological grip on his characters, portraying them as multifaceted, flawed and sympathetic human beings, all achingly vulnerable, wracked by fear, need and guilt. The background that the author painted in his story was completely apt with the mood of the environment. Yes, this is where the author managed to win over my heart. The mood that he set in with his dark narrative style will completely fill your hearts with fear and chill.
The author took us on an imaginative wild ride filled with fear, horror and terror. Since, I do not read much Horror books, I felt Keith Donohue's book to be quite intriguing, scary and edgy.
Verdict: Horror fans do not give it a miss.
Courtesy: I'd like to thank the author, Keith Donohue, for providing me with an ARC of his book.
----Edgar Allan Poe
Keith Donohue, an American best-selling novelist, spun a remarkable story called, The Boy Who Drew Monsters that our sane minds will dare to read it.
Synopsis:
Ever since he nearly drowned in the ocean three years earlier, ten-year-old Jack Peter Keenan has been deathly afraid to venture outdoors. Refusing to leave his home in a small coastal town in Maine, Jack Peter spends his time drawing monsters. When those drawings take on a life of their own, no one is safe from the terror they inspire. His mother, Holly, begins to hear strange sounds in the night coming from the ocean, and she seeks answers from the local Catholic priest and his Japanese housekeeper, who fill her head with stories of shipwrecks and ghosts. His father, Tim, wanders the beach, frantically searching for a strange apparition-running wild in the dunes. In addition, the boy’s only friend, Nick, becomes helplessly entangled in the eerie power of the drawings. While those around Jack Peter are haunted by what they think they see, only he knows the truth behind the frightful occurrences as the outside world encroaches upon them all.
Jack Peter Keenan, a 10-year-old Asperger disorder boy, loves to draw, trapped inside his own mind. Three years ago, Jack and his best friend, Nick, nearly drowned and from that time, Jack has become unsocial and never goes out of his house. However, surprisingly, now it seems his drawings are coming to life, especially monsters, and haunting his parents to death. Only Jack holds the key to this strange mystery.
This story is not only about fear and about monsters, but it also focuses on infidelity, trust, relationships, parenthood, sanity and superstitions. I felt mesmerized by Donohue's elegant use of the retrospective voice, which is always questioning its own accuracy, exploring the nature of memory, of the narratives we tell ourselves about ourselves, and others. Well unfortunately, the first part of the story progressed bit slowly, where we get to see Jack's parents getting accustomed with the essence of supernatural around them. This is where we also see how the author developed his characters with depth. Jack's father's issues- his weakness towards Nick's mother, displayed quite sharply, whereas Jack's mother is still in doubt with her mother hood and being a good mother to Jack. The second part moved with great pace and this where the story gathered momentum and I felt myself rooted to the very core of the story. Another disappointment would be the author could not lay out his scary scenes intricately/strikingly. The monster running through the hills or around Jack's house compound did not scare me at all.
The characters were though fictional but sounded very realistic to me, moreover, Donohue has a deep psychological grip on his characters, portraying them as multifaceted, flawed and sympathetic human beings, all achingly vulnerable, wracked by fear, need and guilt. The background that the author painted in his story was completely apt with the mood of the environment. Yes, this is where the author managed to win over my heart. The mood that he set in with his dark narrative style will completely fill your hearts with fear and chill.
The author took us on an imaginative wild ride filled with fear, horror and terror. Since, I do not read much Horror books, I felt Keith Donohue's book to be quite intriguing, scary and edgy.
Verdict: Horror fans do not give it a miss.
Courtesy: I'd like to thank the author, Keith Donohue, for providing me with an ARC of his book.
October 6, 2014
Review copy
The Boy Who Drew Monsters is a hypnotic literary horror novel about a young boy trapped inside his own world, whose drawings blur the lines between fantasy and reality.
Ten-year-old, Jack Peter Keenan has Asperger disorder, a condition characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction. Three years ago, he and his friend, Nick, nearly drowned. Nick actually needed to be resuscitated. Since then, Jack has trouble leaving the house.
The author has done a fine job of capturing the family life of a child with Asperger's, but The Boy Who Drew Monsters is a work of fiction and rather fantastic fiction at that.
On the surface this seems to be the story of normal parents of a young child with a personality disorder, however it's below the surface where the true story lies. Part ghost story, part monster story, part thriller, The Boy Who Drew Monsters is a well balanced mix of genres that entertains from start to finish, and what a finish. I can honestly say I never saw that coming.
Even if the subject matter strays from the world of the believable, the well-developed characters actions and motives ring true and I was totally drawn into the story.
The Boy Who Drew Monsters from MacMillan's Picador imprint will be published on October 7th in both hardback and e-book formats and is certainly worth your attention.
Strongly recommended.
The Boy Who Drew Monsters is a hypnotic literary horror novel about a young boy trapped inside his own world, whose drawings blur the lines between fantasy and reality.
Ten-year-old, Jack Peter Keenan has Asperger disorder, a condition characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction. Three years ago, he and his friend, Nick, nearly drowned. Nick actually needed to be resuscitated. Since then, Jack has trouble leaving the house.
The author has done a fine job of capturing the family life of a child with Asperger's, but The Boy Who Drew Monsters is a work of fiction and rather fantastic fiction at that.
On the surface this seems to be the story of normal parents of a young child with a personality disorder, however it's below the surface where the true story lies. Part ghost story, part monster story, part thriller, The Boy Who Drew Monsters is a well balanced mix of genres that entertains from start to finish, and what a finish. I can honestly say I never saw that coming.
Even if the subject matter strays from the world of the believable, the well-developed characters actions and motives ring true and I was totally drawn into the story.
The Boy Who Drew Monsters from MacMillan's Picador imprint will be published on October 7th in both hardback and e-book formats and is certainly worth your attention.
Strongly recommended.
October 13, 2014
Jip, as his father calls him is a young boy with Aspergers. After he and his friend nearly drown when they are seven, he is afraid to leave the house. Nick is the only friend he has, and when he visits they invent inside games to play. Jip's passion though is drawing. After over hearing a conversation with his parents, his drawing takes on a new menace.
The first part of this book moved very slowly, the tone of menace always in the background, but to me it seemed rather scattered. Both parents hearing noises and chasing after things that may or may not really exist. The second half moves much more quickly and many insidious events are revealed. Can drawings take on a life of their own?
The ending was a shocker though I did have somewhat of man inclination, though not in the exact way it played out. A good read for October for those who do not like blood and gore but just eerie creepiness.
ARC from NetGalley.
The first part of this book moved very slowly, the tone of menace always in the background, but to me it seemed rather scattered. Both parents hearing noises and chasing after things that may or may not really exist. The second half moves much more quickly and many insidious events are revealed. Can drawings take on a life of their own?
The ending was a shocker though I did have somewhat of man inclination, though not in the exact way it played out. A good read for October for those who do not like blood and gore but just eerie creepiness.
ARC from NetGalley.
February 3, 2019
the boy who drew monsters
Jesus, this book.........wow. I'm stunned. I did NOT see that ending coming! That poor, poor boy.....
A cross between a horror story and a mystery, this novel starts slow, and ends with your mind a little blown away. Slightly reminiscent of Stephen King's early works, this novel was GOOD. But it reminded me more of old Twilight Zone shows from TV. I liked it a lot. Some of it frightened me.
I had never read any novels by this author before, so I am quite intrigued as to whether his other novels are good or not. Unlike other reviewers, I started this book not knowing much about the subject matter, except that the boy drew monsters for some reason.
I had to give it up early in the night, the first night I was reading, and I'm glad I did now. I might have been a little spooked out, reading this book at night, in the dark, alone...... It's a little haunting, it kept me spell-bound from the beginning, and the minute this story sped up and began it's final scene, I could not put it down. Friends of my son's came over, and I pretended to be sleeping, while hiding under the covers, still reading. Just so I could race to the end, and find out WHY. I have done nothing today, but read this book. I feel a little foggy now, and displaced...and only a good, slightly scary novel will do that to you.
And the end, the final page...? Holy shit, that's all I can say. WOW. I might just have to purchase this Ebook for a few friends, and see what they think.
It really makes you evaluate the weight and pull of marriage. Makes you think about friendships, and parenting. And about Asperger's.
What the author has written about the boy with Asperger's was not completely spot on. In fact, rather off. A few pages lagged a bit, but then they caught right back on. And the boy, who's name is Jack Parker, but it called Jack, J.P., AND Jip, throughout the novel, was a bit confusing...sometimes on the same page. Someone should have fixed that before publication; a slight quibble, but still noticeable.
And the. The last page, with that last paragraph......like a kick in the gut. All I could think of was, how ii would NOT want to be that mother. Wow! This ending saved the novel completely.
4 1/2 stars, for keeping me enthralled, through every turn of the page. Well done, Keith Donohue!
———————————
Jan.-Feb 2019: this book is still amazing, even through the second time. The audiobook was narrated by Bronson Pinchot.
Jesus, this book.........wow. I'm stunned. I did NOT see that ending coming! That poor, poor boy.....
A cross between a horror story and a mystery, this novel starts slow, and ends with your mind a little blown away. Slightly reminiscent of Stephen King's early works, this novel was GOOD. But it reminded me more of old Twilight Zone shows from TV. I liked it a lot. Some of it frightened me.
I had never read any novels by this author before, so I am quite intrigued as to whether his other novels are good or not. Unlike other reviewers, I started this book not knowing much about the subject matter, except that the boy drew monsters for some reason.
I had to give it up early in the night, the first night I was reading, and I'm glad I did now. I might have been a little spooked out, reading this book at night, in the dark, alone...... It's a little haunting, it kept me spell-bound from the beginning, and the minute this story sped up and began it's final scene, I could not put it down. Friends of my son's came over, and I pretended to be sleeping, while hiding under the covers, still reading. Just so I could race to the end, and find out WHY. I have done nothing today, but read this book. I feel a little foggy now, and displaced...and only a good, slightly scary novel will do that to you.
And the end, the final page...? Holy shit, that's all I can say. WOW. I might just have to purchase this Ebook for a few friends, and see what they think.
It really makes you evaluate the weight and pull of marriage. Makes you think about friendships, and parenting. And about Asperger's.
What the author has written about the boy with Asperger's was not completely spot on. In fact, rather off. A few pages lagged a bit, but then they caught right back on. And the boy, who's name is Jack Parker, but it called Jack, J.P., AND Jip, throughout the novel, was a bit confusing...sometimes on the same page. Someone should have fixed that before publication; a slight quibble, but still noticeable.
And the. The last page, with that last paragraph......like a kick in the gut. All I could think of was, how ii would NOT want to be that mother. Wow! This ending saved the novel completely.
4 1/2 stars, for keeping me enthralled, through every turn of the page. Well done, Keith Donohue!
———————————
Jan.-Feb 2019: this book is still amazing, even through the second time. The audiobook was narrated by Bronson Pinchot.
February 13, 2022
NEVER would I have suspected this book to be what it ended up being!! Have you ever listened to a book, OR read a book, and halfway thru, you thought....what the HELL am I reading and what is going on? This one is one of the BEST of that type of stories, and it is one that I will NEVER ever forget!!!
Here is my video review from my channel Nightmares, Tears, Anyone? Check it out:
https://youtu.be/cIjtg6mp4sg
Two boys who have been best friends since toddlers......
One of them draws monsters.....
One of them lives in his own world of fear and horror.....
Two seperate worlds come together in a world where they must survive and face their monsters, the REAL ones! Get ready for 'The Boy Who Drew Monsters' because it is a story that could actually exist. Praise to Keith Donohue for scaring the shit out of me with the type of horror that made me think, but then it was a horror that millions of people in this world live with on a daily basis. Thank god that I am NOT one of them!! However someone very close to me does.
Jack Peter sees monsters, and he draws them on pages, pages, and MORE pages that fill his room and tablets, and are the basis of his nightmares and his fear to leave the house.
Jack's best friend Nick is tormented with how to help Jack, and what can he do for his best friend to make his life easier to live.
The boys are 10 years old, and 3 years ago they both almost drowned in the ocean off the coast of where they live; Maine. One of them actually had to be brought back to life.
3 years later: Jack or Jip as his family and friends call him; struggles with Aspbergers Syndrome and he suffers with Agorophobia severely. His dad is a stay at home father while his wife is the bread winner. During Jack's waking hours he LOVEs and is obsessed with drawing pictures of Monsters, truly terrifying ones, and they are something that worries his parents. But this terrifyingly intense, and very thought provoking tale really kicks in when his drawings start to come to life.....YES! The monsters in Jp's pics are what is scaring the shit out of his mom and dad and Nick. But no one believes JP when he tells them all 'these are not in my head, they are real' and they are going to get us in the Dream House!
I had never read Donohue before, and let me tell you what, after experiencing this one, i will most definitely be looking for more by him. I listened to the audiobook which was read by Bronson Pinchot, yes, that crazy actor from that 80's tv show and it was fucking incredible!! And the ending!!! OMFG will stay with me forever!
5 😱😱😱😱😱
Here is my video review from my channel Nightmares, Tears, Anyone? Check it out:
https://youtu.be/cIjtg6mp4sg
Two boys who have been best friends since toddlers......
One of them draws monsters.....
One of them lives in his own world of fear and horror.....
Two seperate worlds come together in a world where they must survive and face their monsters, the REAL ones! Get ready for 'The Boy Who Drew Monsters' because it is a story that could actually exist. Praise to Keith Donohue for scaring the shit out of me with the type of horror that made me think, but then it was a horror that millions of people in this world live with on a daily basis. Thank god that I am NOT one of them!! However someone very close to me does.
Jack Peter sees monsters, and he draws them on pages, pages, and MORE pages that fill his room and tablets, and are the basis of his nightmares and his fear to leave the house.
Jack's best friend Nick is tormented with how to help Jack, and what can he do for his best friend to make his life easier to live.
The boys are 10 years old, and 3 years ago they both almost drowned in the ocean off the coast of where they live; Maine. One of them actually had to be brought back to life.
3 years later: Jack or Jip as his family and friends call him; struggles with Aspbergers Syndrome and he suffers with Agorophobia severely. His dad is a stay at home father while his wife is the bread winner. During Jack's waking hours he LOVEs and is obsessed with drawing pictures of Monsters, truly terrifying ones, and they are something that worries his parents. But this terrifyingly intense, and very thought provoking tale really kicks in when his drawings start to come to life.....YES! The monsters in Jp's pics are what is scaring the shit out of his mom and dad and Nick. But no one believes JP when he tells them all 'these are not in my head, they are real' and they are going to get us in the Dream House!
I had never read Donohue before, and let me tell you what, after experiencing this one, i will most definitely be looking for more by him. I listened to the audiobook which was read by Bronson Pinchot, yes, that crazy actor from that 80's tv show and it was fucking incredible!! And the ending!!! OMFG will stay with me forever!
5 😱😱😱😱😱
December 12, 2020
This atmospherically chilling (literally) novel takes place in coastal Maine during the days surrounding Christmas. This was a nice addition as I read this book several weeks before the holiday. The plot focuses on a local, isolated family with an autistic, agoraphobic son named Jack Peter. The close-knit family is preparing for Christmas when VERY strange things begin to happen. Do they have something to do with a century-old shipwreck and the souls lost beneath the waves? And what about Nick, Jack’s friend who may or may not be harboring darkness of his own? Overall, this was a delightfully creepy Christmas journey with well-developed characters and several clever surprises.
July 10, 2017
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
“In the dream house, the boy listened for the monster under his bed.”
Jack Peter hasn’t been the same since he almost drowned when he was seven-years-old. Becoming terrified of the world outside, he’s become something of a recluse for the past three years and his parents, and even doctors, have been struggling to find a reason. When the terrifying things that Jack claims to see become visible to his parents, they begin to think they’re going insane rather than realizing that maybe what their son has been saying isn’t exactly a lie. Is there something supernatural astir or is everyone, in fact, going insane?
The slow, subtle build leaves the reader in a constant state of anxiety, unable to differentiate between reality and madness. While not exactly terrifying, despite the depictions of a pale white creature which roams the lands around their home and of the babies that defy gravity by crawling across the walls, this story still manages to leave a slight restlessness in its implications. A comparison to A Turn of the Screw is expected, what with the creepy children and of the general gothic-like atmosphere of panic and terror. Donohue applies an inspirational twist to this tale by granting power behind the monsters to a child. What would cause a child to want to create terrifying monsters in reality? Does he have the power to control their actions or only their existence? And does their existence serve a purpose?
One aspect that could have been dealt with better were the adults. Their continued ignorance of the wrongness of the occurrences is typical yet tiresome. Failing to believe in their young sons seemingly fictitious stories is one thing but it’s a problem when you’re seeing said stories with your own eyes and are still acting oblivious. I would have preferred this story told entirely from the point of view of the children, since their perspective of what was happening left you feeling like a child once again, terrified of the monster under the bed.
Not terrifying, yet still memorable. Donohue impressed me with his prose and capability of maintaining a mysterious edginess. I will definitely be seeking out his earlier works.
I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
“In the dream house, the boy listened for the monster under his bed.”
Jack Peter hasn’t been the same since he almost drowned when he was seven-years-old. Becoming terrified of the world outside, he’s become something of a recluse for the past three years and his parents, and even doctors, have been struggling to find a reason. When the terrifying things that Jack claims to see become visible to his parents, they begin to think they’re going insane rather than realizing that maybe what their son has been saying isn’t exactly a lie. Is there something supernatural astir or is everyone, in fact, going insane?
The slow, subtle build leaves the reader in a constant state of anxiety, unable to differentiate between reality and madness. While not exactly terrifying, despite the depictions of a pale white creature which roams the lands around their home and of the babies that defy gravity by crawling across the walls, this story still manages to leave a slight restlessness in its implications. A comparison to A Turn of the Screw is expected, what with the creepy children and of the general gothic-like atmosphere of panic and terror. Donohue applies an inspirational twist to this tale by granting power behind the monsters to a child. What would cause a child to want to create terrifying monsters in reality? Does he have the power to control their actions or only their existence? And does their existence serve a purpose?
One aspect that could have been dealt with better were the adults. Their continued ignorance of the wrongness of the occurrences is typical yet tiresome. Failing to believe in their young sons seemingly fictitious stories is one thing but it’s a problem when you’re seeing said stories with your own eyes and are still acting oblivious. I would have preferred this story told entirely from the point of view of the children, since their perspective of what was happening left you feeling like a child once again, terrified of the monster under the bed.
Not terrifying, yet still memorable. Donohue impressed me with his prose and capability of maintaining a mysterious edginess. I will definitely be seeking out his earlier works.
I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
September 2, 2015
Ugh. Not the worst premise, even though I am tempted to say a la South Park "Stephen King did it" and did it better -- even though that deus ex machina was very unappreciated by me. Here, the kid Jack Peter's (as someone else mentioned, seriously? Who names a kid Jack Peter?) drawing is the plot, and the idea of whether some autisim spectrum kid makes drawings real, so Donohue can't be blamed for inserting this to get out of a plot bind, but man does he ever not do anything satisfying with it. Don't get me wrong, the ending is sort of nice, though unlike others I think you could see this coming about 3/4th of the way in. However, getting there was a tedious slog.
The POV is weirdly inconsistent. For no reason I can discern, there is an whole section where we suddenly go back in time to get other characters' reactions, but since this is not the general style of the novel, it is jarring and weird. The characters are pretty flat -- the dad is unlikable, but he probably shouldn't be -- a bit more discussion of what his motivations are would be nice -- and the mother basically hysterical, but without real depth. At least she has some reasons, though surface, for why she acts as she does. There is the introduction of a priest and housekeeper, the latter who seems to perhaps be pivotal to the story, yet who is just dropped without notice. Too bad since she was pretty darn interesting. Figures.
The most horrible thing for me is that this is set in Maine and I can relate to the exact locations Donohue describes, and he seems to want setting to be a character in its own right, which would be cool since the setting warrants it, but like his other characters Maine only gets a cursory description. Yes, we do have summer people from away and we do have a kick-ass coast-line, but there are better descriptions of the state on Wikipedia.
There is some more to complain about here, but I hope I have provided enough to support why I think you should give this a pass.
The POV is weirdly inconsistent. For no reason I can discern, there is an whole section where we suddenly go back in time to get other characters' reactions, but since this is not the general style of the novel, it is jarring and weird. The characters are pretty flat -- the dad is unlikable, but he probably shouldn't be -- a bit more discussion of what his motivations are would be nice -- and the mother basically hysterical, but without real depth. At least she has some reasons, though surface, for why she acts as she does. There is the introduction of a priest and housekeeper, the latter who seems to perhaps be pivotal to the story, yet who is just dropped without notice. Too bad since she was pretty darn interesting. Figures.
The most horrible thing for me is that this is set in Maine and I can relate to the exact locations Donohue describes, and he seems to want setting to be a character in its own right, which would be cool since the setting warrants it, but like his other characters Maine only gets a cursory description. Yes, we do have summer people from away and we do have a kick-ass coast-line, but there are better descriptions of the state on Wikipedia.
There is some more to complain about here, but I hope I have provided enough to support why I think you should give this a pass.
September 9, 2017
I read this for the Horror square.
I agree with Moonlight Reader that ultimately this book really was underwhelming. I think all of the elements of a good horror story were there, but the characters, the slowly moving plot (and not in a good way by the way) and the ending just left me cold. And I also didn't really feel annoyed enough to rate this lower or like it enough to write it higher than I did. I just feel indifferent, hence the three stars. I can see why there are comparisons to "The Turn of the Screw" but that book built tension in a great way. You don't know whose telling the truth because of the way it's written. You are shown the truth really early on,and then there's a mild twist thrown your way at the end.
"The Boy Who Drew My" is about a ten year old boy named Jack who's on the Asperger's scale. Growing up in Maine, with his caretaker father (Tim) and his lawyer mother (Holly), Jack is worried that due to his behavior he's going to be sent away. By the way this kid has like a thousand names in this book so enjoy that when he's being referred to by different people. I think the author did that as a way to show how nobody really gets this kid, but it was annoying as a reader to just try to keep deciphering all the names.
Three years ago when Jack was playing in the ocean with his best friend Nicholas he almost drowned. Since then he is afraid to leave the house and doesn't go to school or play with his friends. The only boy who still plays with him is childhood friend Nick. And even Nick finds it wearing to be around Jack. Jack has become obsessed with drawing and after a time you start to realize that what Jack draws, seems to have a foothold in the real world.
Holly is in despair about what's their life's going to become now that Jack is getting older and stronger. His father Tim is just an a******. That's all I'm going to say about him. Every time we shifted to that character I just kept hoping that something would eat him. So things are going along like this when things come to a head when Nick comes to stay with the family while his parents go out on a cruise..
The parts that I liked dealt with Holly, Jack, and Nick. I liked it when Holly started to retreat back into her childhood faith in Catholicism and seeks out the local priest to share her troubles. The priest and his housekeeper end up giving her some guidance with the housekeeper much more helpful.
I'm going to ultimately say I was disappointed with this because I thought that the book was kind of turning into a type of Japanese horror book which I would have loved a lot more than what we got. There were hints here and there that's where the author was going and then it's like he forgot about it halfway through and went in the other direction. I mean I felt like I just read the book version of a M Night Shyamalan movie.
The writing I thought was good the author definitely can write a phrase. I also felt like I was in Maine in winter on a desolate stretch of beach and sea.
The flow was a chore though. I think the reason why it was though was the fact that as a reader you're already given an insight into what is going on. So it's not a surprise to you. It's very annoying to read about people who were super clueless. Holly and Tim were in turns mocking, inquisitive, and dismissive every time any of the children tried to tell them what was going on. And at this point I don't understand why they were acting that way considering how many strange things were going on around them.
Maine in the winter term at Christmas time was a great setting for this book. I felt cold and alone just as I think the author wanted me to feel.
The ending fell flat. I don't think the author got that it painted two characters in a very bad light since you can guess what's going to happen from there.
I agree with Moonlight Reader that ultimately this book really was underwhelming. I think all of the elements of a good horror story were there, but the characters, the slowly moving plot (and not in a good way by the way) and the ending just left me cold. And I also didn't really feel annoyed enough to rate this lower or like it enough to write it higher than I did. I just feel indifferent, hence the three stars. I can see why there are comparisons to "The Turn of the Screw" but that book built tension in a great way. You don't know whose telling the truth because of the way it's written. You are shown the truth really early on,and then there's a mild twist thrown your way at the end.
"The Boy Who Drew My" is about a ten year old boy named Jack who's on the Asperger's scale. Growing up in Maine, with his caretaker father (Tim) and his lawyer mother (Holly), Jack is worried that due to his behavior he's going to be sent away. By the way this kid has like a thousand names in this book so enjoy that when he's being referred to by different people. I think the author did that as a way to show how nobody really gets this kid, but it was annoying as a reader to just try to keep deciphering all the names.
Three years ago when Jack was playing in the ocean with his best friend Nicholas he almost drowned. Since then he is afraid to leave the house and doesn't go to school or play with his friends. The only boy who still plays with him is childhood friend Nick. And even Nick finds it wearing to be around Jack. Jack has become obsessed with drawing and after a time you start to realize that what Jack draws, seems to have a foothold in the real world.
Holly is in despair about what's their life's going to become now that Jack is getting older and stronger. His father Tim is just an a******. That's all I'm going to say about him. Every time we shifted to that character I just kept hoping that something would eat him. So things are going along like this when things come to a head when Nick comes to stay with the family while his parents go out on a cruise..
The parts that I liked dealt with Holly, Jack, and Nick. I liked it when Holly started to retreat back into her childhood faith in Catholicism and seeks out the local priest to share her troubles. The priest and his housekeeper end up giving her some guidance with the housekeeper much more helpful.
I'm going to ultimately say I was disappointed with this because I thought that the book was kind of turning into a type of Japanese horror book which I would have loved a lot more than what we got. There were hints here and there that's where the author was going and then it's like he forgot about it halfway through and went in the other direction. I mean I felt like I just read the book version of a M Night Shyamalan movie.
The writing I thought was good the author definitely can write a phrase. I also felt like I was in Maine in winter on a desolate stretch of beach and sea.
The flow was a chore though. I think the reason why it was though was the fact that as a reader you're already given an insight into what is going on. So it's not a surprise to you. It's very annoying to read about people who were super clueless. Holly and Tim were in turns mocking, inquisitive, and dismissive every time any of the children tried to tell them what was going on. And at this point I don't understand why they were acting that way considering how many strange things were going on around them.
Maine in the winter term at Christmas time was a great setting for this book. I felt cold and alone just as I think the author wanted me to feel.
The ending fell flat. I don't think the author got that it painted two characters in a very bad light since you can guess what's going to happen from there.
September 6, 2016
Warning: It's probably best you don't try to finish this late at night. It spooked me out.
After a long reading slump, I finally felt the urge to grab a book and read again. I didn't really take a long time to choose what to read. I just grabbed a new-ish book in my bookshelf and settled with it.
I started this book without any idea what it's all about. I didn't even know which genre it belonged to but that didn't stop me from finishing it.
The Boy Who Drew Monsters incorporates a mixture of reality vs fantasy. It includes a lot of confusing scenes and events wherein the reader is not sure if what's being described is literally happening or not. It plays along the border between imagination and reality that it makes its readers question what really happened; how much of it is made up in the protagonist's head; which events really took place.
I'll admit, I had a hard time immersing myself into the story. Most of the time, I wasn't sure what to make of what I'm reading. I also didn't feel a strong connection with the characters (everyone was a little bit horrible) although I like the way this novel is written. It's my first time reading a work by Keith Donohue and I'd grab another book by him again.
Being a book which I had a hard time to comprehend, I still enjoyed it overall and the twist at the end took me by surprise. For me, it's like one of those movie endings where you go "WTF did I just watch? Everything was a lie?!".
It has a subtle eerie tone to it which builds up over time and by the end, it gave me goosebumps and left me reevaluating the story from the beginning to review which are facts and which aren't. It left me with a little bit of paranoia too.
After a long reading slump, I finally felt the urge to grab a book and read again. I didn't really take a long time to choose what to read. I just grabbed a new-ish book in my bookshelf and settled with it.
I started this book without any idea what it's all about. I didn't even know which genre it belonged to but that didn't stop me from finishing it.
The Boy Who Drew Monsters incorporates a mixture of reality vs fantasy. It includes a lot of confusing scenes and events wherein the reader is not sure if what's being described is literally happening or not. It plays along the border between imagination and reality that it makes its readers question what really happened; how much of it is made up in the protagonist's head; which events really took place.
I'll admit, I had a hard time immersing myself into the story. Most of the time, I wasn't sure what to make of what I'm reading. I also didn't feel a strong connection with the characters (everyone was a little bit horrible) although I like the way this novel is written. It's my first time reading a work by Keith Donohue and I'd grab another book by him again.
Being a book which I had a hard time to comprehend, I still enjoyed it overall and the twist at the end took me by surprise. For me, it's like one of those movie endings where you go "WTF did I just watch? Everything was a lie?!".
It has a subtle eerie tone to it which builds up over time and by the end, it gave me goosebumps and left me reevaluating the story from the beginning to review which are facts and which aren't. It left me with a little bit of paranoia too.
October 25, 2014
Not scary at all, sadly. And I didn't really care for the writing style, or the characters. The twist right at the end was awesome, though - I completely did not see that coming!
September 16, 2020
3 Stars
*A creepy (but not scary) story of a boy surrounded by monsters*
I first came across The Boy Who Drew Monsters on a list of books set in Maine. I’m not sure exactly what it is about my home state that makes a surprisingly good horror setting, but it does. But I am only in the mood for Horror sporadically, so The Boy Who Drew Monsters has languished on my TBR backlist for a while now. Luckily I was in the mood for something creepy, so I finally got around to reading this.
The story surrounds a young autistic boy, Jack Peter, who is also extremely agoraphobic. But when his parents start seeing mysterious things in the night, they realize that there may be more to Jack Peter’s fear than they realized.
At first, I was expecting something like A Monster Calls. But the story went a different direction. I can’t elaborate on that point without spoilers though…
The story was creepy, but I didn't connect much to the story. More specifically, I didn’t connect to the characters. The narration is done in close third person switching between several characters. None of them were particularly pleasant. In fact, they were borderline nihilistic. I hate nihilism. While I did appreciate that Donohue didn’t gloss over the struggles involved in raising a child who was both autistic and agoraphobic, it would have been better to have some variety of temperaments amongst the characters. Instead, all the characters had a glum negativity that gave the whole story a monotone feel. And although the bleakness did amp up the atmosphere, I still prefer more variety of emotion from characters.
In terms of Horror, The Boy Who Drew Monsters isn't a scary or gory book. It stays in the creepy/spooky level which is fine by me. I can't stand it when authors use gratuitous gore in an attempt to ramp up a story's scariness.
The plot kept me engaged, and I did enjoy the story overall. Well enough that I will probably check out more of Donohue’s work. I liked The Boy Who Drew Monsters even though I was not as emotionally engaged with the characters as I would have liked.
RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 4 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 3 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars
*A creepy (but not scary) story of a boy surrounded by monsters*
I first came across The Boy Who Drew Monsters on a list of books set in Maine. I’m not sure exactly what it is about my home state that makes a surprisingly good horror setting, but it does. But I am only in the mood for Horror sporadically, so The Boy Who Drew Monsters has languished on my TBR backlist for a while now. Luckily I was in the mood for something creepy, so I finally got around to reading this.
The story surrounds a young autistic boy, Jack Peter, who is also extremely agoraphobic. But when his parents start seeing mysterious things in the night, they realize that there may be more to Jack Peter’s fear than they realized.
At first, I was expecting something like A Monster Calls. But the story went a different direction. I can’t elaborate on that point without spoilers though…
The story was creepy, but I didn't connect much to the story. More specifically, I didn’t connect to the characters. The narration is done in close third person switching between several characters. None of them were particularly pleasant. In fact, they were borderline nihilistic. I hate nihilism. While I did appreciate that Donohue didn’t gloss over the struggles involved in raising a child who was both autistic and agoraphobic, it would have been better to have some variety of temperaments amongst the characters. Instead, all the characters had a glum negativity that gave the whole story a monotone feel. And although the bleakness did amp up the atmosphere, I still prefer more variety of emotion from characters.
In terms of Horror, The Boy Who Drew Monsters isn't a scary or gory book. It stays in the creepy/spooky level which is fine by me. I can't stand it when authors use gratuitous gore in an attempt to ramp up a story's scariness.
The plot kept me engaged, and I did enjoy the story overall. Well enough that I will probably check out more of Donohue’s work. I liked The Boy Who Drew Monsters even though I was not as emotionally engaged with the characters as I would have liked.
RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 4 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 3 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars
November 2, 2017
A minha opinião em vídeo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy3MT...
Um bom livro de terror/supense com uma criança especial...
Vale a pena!
Um bom livro de terror/supense com uma criança especial...
Vale a pena!
November 7, 2017
Shocked by the ending!! Such a clever story.
March 22, 2019
Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfer...
2.5/5 Stars
10 year old Jack Peter (Jip) nearly drowned 3 years ago with his good friend Nick. Since that day, Jip hasn't left his house. To pass the time, he draws monsters that have begun to terrorize his family. His mother, Holly, visits a priest and his house keeper who tell her tales of a shipwreck long ago. Jip's father is beginning to notice things out lurking in the dark. That's when Nick begins to notice the similarities between what Jip draws and what has been roaming around the beaches.
The book started off incredibly slow and I was honestly quite bored with the story. It felt that the story just went in circles for the most part and nothing ever really happened other than the parents being skeptical of each other and Jip and Nick fighting. I was also able to call the big twist at the end, which was a big disappointment because that seems to be why everyone finds this book so great but since I already knew what was going on it was very underwhelming. The concept for the book was really intriguing to me but unfortunately the execution wasn't so great.
2.5/5 Stars
10 year old Jack Peter (Jip) nearly drowned 3 years ago with his good friend Nick. Since that day, Jip hasn't left his house. To pass the time, he draws monsters that have begun to terrorize his family. His mother, Holly, visits a priest and his house keeper who tell her tales of a shipwreck long ago. Jip's father is beginning to notice things out lurking in the dark. That's when Nick begins to notice the similarities between what Jip draws and what has been roaming around the beaches.
The book started off incredibly slow and I was honestly quite bored with the story. It felt that the story just went in circles for the most part and nothing ever really happened other than the parents being skeptical of each other and Jip and Nick fighting. I was also able to call the big twist at the end, which was a big disappointment because that seems to be why everyone finds this book so great but since I already knew what was going on it was very underwhelming. The concept for the book was really intriguing to me but unfortunately the execution wasn't so great.
October 24, 2014
This is my first comment on Goodreads but I feel strongly about my score. This book was a big disappointment. The story wasn't very interesting and I found myself getting bored by it. I pushed on kept thinking that it had to get better but it never did. I wish I could get the time back I spent reading it.
July 1, 2016
Um livro interessante sobre ser diferente e enfrentar os monstros que temos dentro de nós. É um "terror" leve e gostoso de ler. Uma narrativa mais lenta, construída aos poucos para apresentar a história ao leitor
March 13, 2015
This was a decent horror story until the very end when it transformed into a great horror story! Seriously.....what an ending.
November 10, 2014
Keith Donohue returns with another book about strange things happening around children. There is definitely a formula at work. Kids and scary stories have always gone together, just ask John Saul who's made a career of it. Of course, unlike Saul, Donohue can actually write. His horror is quiet, atmospheric, very much of a literary kind. Good writing like good art brings things to life, this is particularly apt within the context of the book. Donohue brings to life the claustrophobic bleak isolation of Maine in the winter so well creating a place where the line between nightmares and reality can easily be blurred. This would make a perfect snow day read. In all fairness this story drew me in less than his previous works, something in the pacing maybe, the meditations on parenting interesting, but slightly repetitive and nonproductive to the story, but the awesome twist ending saved and elevated the book. Now go draw some monsters. If you dare.
August 11, 2016
Ok, I'm only giving this book three stars (I was originally going to give it only 2) because of the last page and the last sentence of this book, if you read this book (wait for it) . All through this book I was confused as to what I was just reading , some places it feels like horror, others it feels like a psychological thriller, others like a gone bad romance , this book lacks clear goals and therefore the story suffers , it is a story about ghost that are not real ghosts, about a kid that we supposedly it's the main character but in long patches of the book just disappears. The story feels rushed and you get the feeling that knowing the ending , the author could have mad a way better story . 3 out of 5 it's not bad for a day reading .
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