Bedtime Story
Author:
Robert J Wiersema
Publisher:
Random House Canada (2010)
Number of pages:
496
Review: "Turning to the first chapter, I couldn’t help myself: with the first sentence it was like I was eleven years old again, reading in the apple tree or the hayloft at my grandparents’ place in Henderson." Parents will always see their children as their little boy or their little girl. It is a fact that neither you nor I can escape. Our parents until they die will view us as the little people they’ve birthed and raised. So when I was browsing the shelves of the library and happened to stumble upon a novel called Bedtime Story it caught my interest. When I started to read the synopsis I was hooked, no doubt about it. Not only was this novel going to remind me about my parents and their unrelenting love of reading to their children, but I love novels with two separate plots written in one book, it’s like a bonus: two stories in one. So of course I jumped at the opportunity to read Bedtime Story and I must say Mr Wiersema would have made my father proud.
Christopher Knox began his writing career with a bang. He had a hit novel, a popular column, and the ambition to be the best writer in his generation. 10 years later he finds himself living above the garage of his home, estranged from his wife and still trying to write his second novel. The only thing that keeps him sane is his daily routines, one of which involves reading his young son a bedtime story every night. When David’s 11th birthday rolls around, Christopher presents him with a novel written by one of his favourite authors from his childhood called To the Four Directions. At first the novel was discarded by David but soon he becomes so enthralled in the novel he cannot distract himself away from it until one day David has a massive seizure and falls into a catatonic state. At first devastated Christopher tries to make sense of the seizures that usually fall around the time he would read a bedtime story to David. When Christopher falls into his story routine at the hospital David’s seizures rapidly decrease yet he still remains catatonic. Christopher realizes that the novel is somehow connected to David’s inability to snap out of his coma and sets on a mission to find out what is happening to his son, all the while he is unaware that his son is trapped within the pages of the novel, trying desperately to stay alive, and find his way back to consciousness.
I absolutely adored this novel, I couldn’t put it down. I was David; trapped within the words of Wiersema (I didn’t get a seizure thankfully). This novel, right from the very first sentence, captures your whole attention and sends the reader on an adventure of mystery, action and suspense. It also shows the true love a parent can have for their child. Where David’s mother tries desperately to come to terms with the fact that her son may never get out of his catatonic state, his father tries desperately to find a solution using theory, magic and psychics. There is a story in here that will appeal to both children and adults. There’s David’s narration of his quest to find the healing stone that will appeal to a young adult reader while Christopher’s quest to find a cure for his son will surly capture the attention of the adult reader. And, while these days with television and the internet, it sure is nice to read a novel that advocates the joys and pleasures of reading, especially among young males. I honestly hope that our generation and the generations to come will fall in love with reading again, especially boys. There is so much joy to be had being captured for a few hours by a book. Anyway I do hope you all will get a chance to read this one. It really is worth a look.
