Manufiya

10 kind stars out of 5

Being on display can be hard. But for August Pullman, this is his daily life: the display, the 24/7 spotlight where all and sundry are gaping at him. And the way Auggie deals with it is both heartbreaking and heartwarming at once.

He keeps walking on eggshells, carefully sliding between the slippery edge of reality and ignorance. Because pretending is the best antidote to depression or self-loathing.

The author has done a bonzer job on sketching well fleshed out characters. Each character is unique and has a completely different take on life (that reflects in the way they treat August). And it's just so easy to connect with each character. I suppose the author's words cast a spell on me.

The plot is a meshwork of narratives so that the reader can get the big picture comprised of multiple perspectives. I bet the novel would have lost a bit of its charm had it used only one voice and made it's reader view the picture through just one lens. So, I really loved the interlaced voices that were the heart of the plot.

Dex: I know what you mean.

Faris: I love that guy.

Helene: Same.

Faris: What?