Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
International award winner David Almond draws on memories of his early years in Tyneside, England, for a moving coming-of-age novel, masterfully told.
A gentle visionary coming of age in the shadow of the shipyards of northern England, Dominic Hall is torn between extremes. On the one hand, he craves the freedom he feels when he steals away with the eccentric girl artist next door, Holly Stroud--his first and abiding love--to balance above the earth on a makeshift tightrope. With Holly, Dom dreams of a life different in every way from his shipbuilder dad's, a life fashioned of words and images and story. On the other hand, he finds himself irresistibly drawn to the brutal charms of Vincent McAlinden, a complex bully who awakens something wild and reckless and killing in Dom. In a raw and beautifully crafted bildungsroman, David Almond reveals the rich inner world of a boy teetering on the edge of manhood, a boy so curious and open to impulse that we fear for him and question his balance--and ultimately exult in his triumphs.
Synopsis
"The interplay between the characters and their environments results in a stunningly human and humanizing story. This is by far Almond's best work to date." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review) A gentle visionary coming of age in the shadow of the shipyards of northern England, Dominic Hall is torn between extremes. He craves the freedom he feels when he balances above the earth on a makeshift tightrope with the eccentric girl artist next door, Holly Stroud--his first and abiding love. Yet he also finds himself drawn to the brutal charms of Vincent McAlinden, a complex bully who awakens something wild and reckless and killing in Dom. In a raw and beautifully crafted bildungsroman, David Almond reveals the rich inner world of a boy teetering on the edge of manhood.