Rhubarb

I am an avid reader. I am always reading something. Lately I have been working through a stack of 2nd hand books I had accumulated. Some had been passed along to me; many I had picked up around the place- fetes, markets, garage sales and the like, but never gotten around to reading (although that didn't stop me adding to the pile if a book caught my eye!).

Finally I had read everything else I currently own so decided to make my way through the 2nd hand pile. There was no rhyme or reason to it. I just started at the top and worked my way down. I can honestly say that except for one (which I found mind numbingly boring to the point that it is the first book ever that I did not finish- I decided life is way to short to waste any more time on it!), all the other books in the collection were enjoyable to varying degrees. I considered the time reading each, as time well spent.

Then as I was nearing the bottom of the pile, I encountered Rhubard by Craig Silvey. Have you ever read a book that has drawn you in completely and totally overwhelmed you? A book you feel the need to tell EVERYONE about? A book you consider buying for everyone you know, just to make sure they read it? Maybe its just me, but this is how I feel about Rhubard, and I haven't felt like that about a book for a long time, despite how much I read.

The story is poignant, the characters are so real. I loved the unusual style in which it is written. This book touched my heart and I really cared about the main characters. I especially loved guide dog Warren and receiving occasional insights into his point of view, and that of other creatures such as the hermit crab, in his desperate bid for freedom. I was also drawn in by my desire to discover what made these unusual, flawed characters tick, what past events had shaped them and brought them to where they were- I truly wanted to understand them all. I experienced real moments of sadness and even shock, while reading this book, but I also experienced many moments of excitement and joy.


I later discovered that Craig Silvey is a young writer from Western Australia and Rhubard is his first published book. He has since had a second book published, called Jasper Jones (which I plan to read as soon as I get a hold of a copy!) and is currently working on a third. He also collaborated on a children's book called "The World According to Warren" (featuring the guide dog from Rhubarb). I was blown away by Rhubard already, but even more so when I discovered how young the author was and that it was his first published novel. Wow- his talent is remarkable. Anyway I don't usually gush about ANYTHING like this, but this book really affected me and I wanted to share!

Do you have a book you have felt this way about? One that you wanted to recommend to anyone and everyone? If you do, please share as I am always on the look out for a great book.

Until next time...