I can’t believe I forgot to put A Ladder to the Sky: A Novel on my winter reading list, but I read it as soon as I remembered!
A book by the same author, John Boyne, made my favorite books of 2017 list and this new book is a contender for this year’s list. Check back; my list is coming soon!!
Maurice Swift, a truly unforgettable and unique protagonist, is a charming psychopath who steals others’ ideas because although he can write well, he can’t come up with his own plots.
“There’s something in all our pasts that wouldn’t want revealed. And that’s where you’ll find your story,” his first mentor tells him. The book’s title is a reference to a proverb about ambition: “It’s like a ladder to the sky. A pointless waste of energy.” Maurice’s ambition leads him to do things you wouldn’t believe until you start anticipating just what he’ll do next and how far he’ll go!!
The book is entertaining, disturbing, funny, thought provoking, and irresistible.
For me personally it had two traits that I loved:
- Intertextuality, something I write about a lot.
- Pub references. The chapters of the last section are titled by the pubs he is sitting in. hysterical!
Through the last page, this book is brilliant. Bravo bravo – I hate that I don’t still have this book to read tonight.
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