This book came to me highly recommended by someone who has a
good eye for the brilliant. On top of that, Patrick Ness, with whom I’m more
than a little obsessed, is quoted on the cover saying “Hoban is the best sort
of genius.” Further, I’ve had a soft spot for Alexis Deacon ever since I read
‘Beegu’.
All in all, I was pretty geared up to read it. And it didn’t
disappoint.
Rather than reading the back or anything, I jumped straight
into it taking what I found as I went. Immediately I was immersed in the ‘The
North’, “where’s it so cold that your nose hairs get stiff and your eyeballs
get brittle and your face hurts and your hands will freeze if you leave them
uncovered for too long… Where the polar bear walks alone and is never lost.”
Hoban’s words conjured up that north in my mind with just enough detail to
guide me through it, without so much that my imagination didn’t have room to
play in the snow.
