Boo

by Neil Smith

From Neil Smith, author of the award-winning, internationally acclaimed story collection Bang Crunch, comes a dark but whimsical debut novel about starting over in the afterlife in the vein of Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones.

When Oliver 'Boo' Dalrymple wakes up in heaven, the eighth-grade science geek thinks he died of a heart defect at his school. But soon after arriving in this hereafter reserved for dead thirteen-year-olds, Boo discovers he’s a 'gommer', a kid who was murdered. What’s more, his killer may also be in heaven. With help from his volatile classmate Johnny, Boo sets out to track down the mysterious Gunboy who cut short both their lives.

In a heart-rending story written to his beloved parents, the odd but endearing Boo relates his astonishing heavenly adventures as he tests the limits of friendship, learns about forgiveness and, finally, makes peace with the boy he once was and the boy he can now be.

• ISBN10: 009959238X
• ISBN13: 9780099592389
• Publish Date: 5 November 2015 (first published 12 May 2015)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Windmill Books
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[meowstina]

I received an advance reader’s copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really like the concept of this novel, and the charming narrator who dictates the story. Boo is a fairly innocent, no-nonsense, logical kid. He’s what most would call a ‘gifted’ student because he is smart and retains a lot of information. Most of that information, though, has nothing to do with socializing and emotions. He knows the proper etiquette, but he doesn’t necessarily understand it or feel it himself. Thus, he is an outcast at school when he is alive. After he dies and arrives in Town, American thirteen-year-olds’ afterlife, he finds friends who appreciate him, and together they bond, investigate, and find truths they may not be ready for. Boo writes his story to his parents, hoping to one day find a way to give them the completed journals on earth. He details everything that happens for accuracy, except for the moment of his death - no one in Town remembers their own death. Each chapter heading is an element from the periodic table, which is very cute.

The characters are all very unique, and I really appreciated all of them. Each plays their own role in Town and Boo’s story. I like the camaraderie and even times when they don’t get along because it’s all very realistic of relationships. They each grown and learn from each other, especially Boo, because that’s what his story is all about. I couldn’t quite get used to the concept of Town, though. It’s something that you really have to suspend your disbelief for, because there are a lot of potential holes and things that don’t make sense and aren’t entirely believable. I know this is afterlife and will always be made up, but some things just didn’t go together well.

These elements all resulted in an okay book for me. While it’s a good story, I wasn’t fully captivated and often lost most interest. This book is important, though, as it talks a lot about bullying and friendship and the way society turns people both for and against each other. Laid out, this book sounds great, but for some reason I couldn’t get into it fully.

[lovelybookshelf]

The best thing about this book is it feels both character-driven and plot-driven. If you enjoy watching characters develop as they face both inner and external conflict, you love this novel. If you enjoy plot-driven novels, you’ll love this book’s “whodunit” thrill. (That aspect, by the way, kept me guessing to the end).

More of my thoughts on this title can be found on my blog at Lovely Bookshelf.