The Boy, the Boat, and the Beast
When I finished reading this middle school book, I immediately thought of The Wizard of Oz as it had that fantasy, dreamworld aspect to it. This book has this mysterious element to it as a boy wakes up on a mysterious island and he tries to make sense of who he is, where he is and what he should do next. As I read the novel, the pieces started to come together but then more difficult and deeper questions plagued my mind about this boy and his troubles.
The novel begins was a boy waking up on a beach. On one side of him, there is a green wall consisting of trees and bushes and on the other, waves are crashing onto the beach. Wearing only a T-shirt, with which he doesn’t remember owning, and swim trunks, the boy is disoriented and confused. The boy has a constant fear of something in the water and inside the green wall, that he claims are out to get him so, he tries to stay clear of those areas.
Images materialize before his eyes and whether they are real or not, that is up to the reader to decide, but to the boy, for that moment they are real. The boy hears voices and he struggles to accept what they tell him. He needs to find a way off the beach and find his way home, only which way is that going to be.
This was a mystery from the beginning and as the boy becomes familiar with his surroundings, his world becomes more confusing. I found that as I read this novel, I had more questions that needed to be answered but by the end of the novel, my questions had been answered. It was an entertaining read and I really enjoyed the ending.
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