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Nov 12, 2015goddessbeth rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The Children's Home is fairly engrossing, although so much of it is mysterious that it's not the easiest book to figure out. It's a great read if you're looking for something that makes you think and reflect on deeper concepts. It's got delightfully gothic elements (evocative of Henry James, mostly), but it's primarily a fiction. I've seen it compared to works by Neil Gaiman, which I'd agree with because of the lyrical word choice and "less is more" approach; I've seen it compared to works by Edward Gorey, which I disagree with because it goes very deep and isn't self-reflective. I'm still awed by how Lambert was able to weave a multi-level story from what few facts and reality-based touchstones are in this novel. It shouldn't have worked, but it did. And it worked so well that I read it in less than a week, and then had to sit and ruminate on it for another week. And it definitely didn't go where I was certain it would. This is a book that will keep you guessing, and if you're open to not knowing where the author is going, to surprised and suspension of disbelief, and revel more in the deeper concepts than the surface story, I think you'll enjoy it. It's definitely well-suited to winter (it's published 1/5/16- I read an ARC), and I recommend it for fans of gothic multi-layer lyrical fiction.