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Title: Let's Kill Uncle
Author: Rohan O'Grady
Published: New York: Bloomsbury, 2001 (1963)
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 279
Total Page Count: 99,245
Text Number: 283
Read Because: won in a Goodread's First Reads giveaway
Review: When wild-child Barnaby and dour Christie come to a small island on the Candian coast for the summer, theirs is no ideal holiday: unbeknowst to the islanders, Barnaby's uncle is trying to kill him and inherent the family fortune. Since no one else will help them, the children set out to solve the problem themselves and kill Uncle first. Let's Kill Uncle is a dark comedy delight. It's reminiscent of A Series of Unfortuate Events (and if there's any one drawback, it's that it make me want to read those books), except that Let's Kill Uncle takes place on a small country-twee island and has a style all its own: self-aware, liberally sprinkled with dramatic irony, almost artlessly transparent, and presented in a gingham wrapping that cheerfully clashes with the morbid content. It's a strange combination, and a constant dark joy. The disregard of subtlety and realism can grow heavy-handed: I wish that the antagonist, as gleefully evil as he is, were toned down; some aspects, like the strange half-sentient cougar that haunts the island, do nothing for me. But despite these drawbacks, the book's smiling morbidity is impossible to deny and occasionally reaches brilliant heights. It's a quick and engaging read, constantly entertaining if this is your sort of humor, and ends on a high note: what the climax lacks in autonomy it makes up for in intensity, and—in a way I've never seen before—the epilogue may be the best part of the book. O'Grady writes fantastic children who, although they may not be wholly realistic, perfectly capture the naïve evil childhood. They are the heart and life of this book: deceptively harmless, thoughtlessly cruel, and smiling the whole way. Let's Kill Uncle may not be a great piece of literature, but it's a fun romp and good story. It's rare that I find a book fits my particular, narrow sense of humor; that this one does is a personal pleasure, and I'm glad I had the chance to read it. If dark comedy is also your style, give Let's Kill Uncle a try.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
Author: Rohan O'Grady
Published: New York: Bloomsbury, 2001 (1963)
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 279
Total Page Count: 99,245
Text Number: 283
Read Because: won in a Goodread's First Reads giveaway
Review: When wild-child Barnaby and dour Christie come to a small island on the Candian coast for the summer, theirs is no ideal holiday: unbeknowst to the islanders, Barnaby's uncle is trying to kill him and inherent the family fortune. Since no one else will help them, the children set out to solve the problem themselves and kill Uncle first. Let's Kill Uncle is a dark comedy delight. It's reminiscent of A Series of Unfortuate Events (and if there's any one drawback, it's that it make me want to read those books), except that Let's Kill Uncle takes place on a small country-twee island and has a style all its own: self-aware, liberally sprinkled with dramatic irony, almost artlessly transparent, and presented in a gingham wrapping that cheerfully clashes with the morbid content. It's a strange combination, and a constant dark joy. The disregard of subtlety and realism can grow heavy-handed: I wish that the antagonist, as gleefully evil as he is, were toned down; some aspects, like the strange half-sentient cougar that haunts the island, do nothing for me. But despite these drawbacks, the book's smiling morbidity is impossible to deny and occasionally reaches brilliant heights. It's a quick and engaging read, constantly entertaining if this is your sort of humor, and ends on a high note: what the climax lacks in autonomy it makes up for in intensity, and—in a way I've never seen before—the epilogue may be the best part of the book. O'Grady writes fantastic children who, although they may not be wholly realistic, perfectly capture the naïve evil childhood. They are the heart and life of this book: deceptively harmless, thoughtlessly cruel, and smiling the whole way. Let's Kill Uncle may not be a great piece of literature, but it's a fun romp and good story. It's rare that I find a book fits my particular, narrow sense of humor; that this one does is a personal pleasure, and I'm glad I had the chance to read it. If dark comedy is also your style, give Let's Kill Uncle a try.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
