Having been recommended this book by a friend at school, I finally got round to reading it when I began college and joined the book club. This was the first book that we read and discussed together - so it’s safe to say I had high hopes!
Ostensibly, the novel is genius - a new author with fresh ideas and a plot different to any other. Something that really drew me in was the antique vintage photographs of peculiar people which Riggs had used to further his plot and establish a realism within the fantastical world of Peculiar Children.
I have to say - the beginning of the novel proved to be very engaging and thought-provoking; Jacob’s perspectives are intelligent and relatable, with the grief from his family history weighing heavy on his shoulders.
However, I found that from the moment we are introduced to the plethora of ‘peculiar’ children and their vigilant Head Mistress, the novel began to go downhill. Very quickly the story line became insatiably dull, with little engaging points and fewer intelligent ideas. Eventually even Jacob’s character becomes questionable - how far can we really go to defend and understand his behaviour?
All in all I feel that this novel was mediocre at best - hopefully you have better luck with it, or find hidden gems that make the narrative steadily bearable.
- Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop
