The Illustrated Child

Reading this was like being in a waking dream...it ultimately made no real sense but was feathery and beautiful but somehow dark. I read it really quite quickly, I found it quite compelling but in the end, frustrating beyond belief. Disappointing.

I read this book over one long lazy Saturday, engrossed by the story, characters and imaginative wonders therein. It's dark, eerie, and, in places, shocking in a way that has apparently upset or annoyed some reviewers who'd decided the book was going to be all whimsy and sweetness- perhaps the US title is partly to blame for this unfortunate mismatch? I never condone negative reviews based on an author not writing the book a reader wanted to read. I went into the novel knowing nothing and I think it's remarkable, particularly for a first novel. Polly Crosby is to be congratulated for her achievement, drawing together deeply serious, difficult issues dealing with mental health, ageing, childhood trauma, parenthood and mother- and father-daughter relationships, and bereavement.

I was completely engrossed by the world-building, centred on a Norfolk house that's a cross between the Mortmains' in "I Capture the Castle" and Roger Deekin's Walnut Tree Farm, all three with moats. There's a glass bell jar, too, in a book that's a Coming of Age journey with mental health at its centre.

Romilly and her father are vivid characters I cared about as though they were real people. Crosby plays with reality and imagination, definitely not for whimsy. There's a quote in the text that might give context without spoilers:
"Joy in looking and comprehending is nature's most beautiful gift." Albert Einstein

The setting beginning in 1987 is subtly marked, for those who remember, with Michael Fish's infamous reassurance prior to the Great Storm, and references to the The Tufty Cub. Romilly enjoys the kind of free range childhood I knew growing up in the 60/70s that many younger parents would see as neglect. Her artist father decides to pay the mortgage by writing & illustrating a series of picture books featuring his red haired daughter and her Siamese cat Monty. Full of fascinating detail readers quickly seize upon as clues in a Treasure Hunt- remember Kit Williams' "Masquerade"? However, as the story develops we slowly discover the true reasons behind the books. Best know no more if you have yet to read this wonderful novel. I cannot wait to read Polly Crosby's next book.

This is such an unusual novel, blending genres and mixing fantasy with realism to create a wonderfully strange story that is both beautiful and deeply disturbing. From reading other reviews, it seems like the way the novel was pitched in the US as “The Book of Hidden Wonders” gave a false impression that this would be a magical, innocent story, full of lovely things. In reality, the book is far darker than its cover might suggest. It’s frustrating that the marketing of the book was so off, but, if you’re not expecting everything to be lovely and beautiful, Crosby’s novel is an impressive exploration of adolescence, loneliness, mental illness, and the fascination of art.

I loved Crosby’s lyrical writing style and the overall dreamlike quality of the narrative. Throughout the novel it was often difficult to tell what was real and what was imagined, and I loved how Crosby never attempted to draw attention to that distinction. While some of the big revelations toward the end of the novel were somewhat predictable, they still fitted nicely within the overall quality of the story and didn’t feel like they were just included for shock factor.

The reason why I’m giving this novel four stars rather than five is that, despite all the beauty and the intrigue of the disparate elements, I didn’t feel as if the overall book amounted to quite as much as it could have. I’m writing this review several weeks after finishing the novel and I’m struggling to remember what the main arc was or how the story actually ended. While individual scenes stick vividly in my mind (Crosby’s evocative descriptions, particularly of disturbing scenes, are some of the strongest parts of the book) the story as a whole didn’t quite fit together for me.

Overall, it’s a pity this book was so badly blurbed, as it seems to have attracted quite a few readers who were looking for a very different type of book. For those who are willing to delve into a fantastical but disturbing story, however, The Illustrated Child certainly offers something unique.

Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3984860527

A wonderful, well written book that covers the topics of mental health, dementia, and the struggles of a young girl who has to cope with these issues.
I warmed to Romily and her artist father Tobias, however the story is harrowing at times and deals with tough issues but is so well written. I would recommend reading.

The narrator of the story is Romilly. When we first meet her she is an only child of nine, living in relative isolation in a house on the outskirts of a village surrounded by fields, which become her playground. Her mother is in some kind of “facility”, so she lives with her fairly eccentric, but very loving, father (Tobias) whose parenting style is very much of the “permissive” type. One day her father arrives home with a kitten who she names Monty and who becomes her constant companion. Her father is an artist and, in an effort to provide for Romilly and also pursue his love of painting, he comes up with an idea for an illustrated children’s book featuring both Romilly and Monty. This becomes an instant bestseller, and not just among children because there are hints of complex clues hidden within the pages that may lead to treasure of some sort. By the time Romilly reaches her teenage years, the fifth book is published and Romilly and her father are very famous indeed, having to seek refuge in the house as fans camp on the perimeter of their land. By this stage her father’s behaviour is becoming more erratic and Romilly realises that the books may help unlock secrets from her early years, of which she has very little knowledge.

There was a lot to like about this book. The characters were interesting, the story was unusual and, for me, there was added interest from the cryptic clues found within the book. It also tackled a number of fairly major issues such as mental illness, loneliness, love, neglect, growing up. There were a few heart-wrenching moments which really tugged at the heart strings.

However, somehow it just felt like there was something missing. It should have been a wonderful book but I failed to engage with it at some level. This was partly because it made me feel uncomfortable and I read it with a sense of impending doom, although I am not entirely sure why. Nothing terribly bad actually happened (well, not really – not of the sort I was imagining anyway). Yet there was a dark undercurrent to the whole book which did not sit easily with me. This was surprising because there was no hint of this in either the title or the blurb and I was expecting a much more “cosy” read. Also, the novel is confusing, probably deliberately so but I’m not sure that is really a plus point. In order to make sense of what is going on, we really need the benefit of hindsight as the information we need in order for the story to come together is drip-fed to us throughout the course of the narrative. Also, I do feel that it should have been a much more emotional read than it actually was and that I should have empathised more with Romilly but this just didn’t happen often enough – I could blame myself for that but I suspect the author contributed!

I would just like to comment on one additional topic, not really directly related to my review but something which I feel quite strongly about. It would seem that there has been a lot of online discussion about the fact that Romilly was subject to child abuse. I don’t agree. Unintentional neglect possibly, but if you have a mother who has basically been sectioned for mental health issues and a very unconventional and artistic/creative father who is doing his level best to look after his daughter and provide for her while struggling with health issues of his own then things are likely to be a little weird. Her father was certainly her main carer and he loved her to bits. Romilly may have been lonely at times but she knew she was loved and the feelings were reciprocated – in my book that counts for quite a lot.

It would seem that this is Polly Crosby’s first book and I would like to applaud her for a very creative novel with big ambitions. I do not think the book was problem free, but I will look out for her next publication as this was an interesting debut.

Haunting and eerie, this book draws you into a world where nothing is quite what it seems. This story deals with some difficult subject matters, and is certainly not the whimsical read I imagined it would be. An excellent debut novel.

What a good debut! This charming book of a father’s love for his daughter is haunting and perceptive. There are clues for Romilly hidden in the books he is writing and illustrating but it seems that she must know more before she can wrestle with the clues. As in many puzzles, the clues are hidden in plain sight.
Masterful.