PAGES: 208
PUBLISHER: Much-In-Little
FORMAT: Hardback
BUY IT: Waterstones
RATING: 4 Stars
SUMMARY
People are keeping secrets from Oli - about where his father is, and why he hasn't come to join them at his uncle's house in the country.
But Oli has secrets too.
He knows what lives in the attic. Eren - part monster, part dream, part myth. Eren who always seems so interested, who always wants to hear more about Oli's life. Eren, who needs to hear stories to live, and will take them from Oli, no matter the cost.
REVIEW
Eren is one of the strangest books I have ever read, and it's a debut that's one of the most unique and exciting stories I've read this year.
When Oli's Mum moves him away from his London home he begins to feel isolated from his life. He goes to live at his Uncle's house and when exploring the attic meets a very strange creature... Eren. Eren feeds off stories of all sorts, and the more detailed and imaginative the better. They make him stronger. He begins to take over everything in Oli's life.
Eren is really a story about what happens when children are protected from the hardships of adult life. By not telling Oli what is happening with his Dad or why they had to move to London, Oli's imagination begins to take on a life of his own, spreading from simple storytelling to reconstructing his own history with the detail and flourish that Eren keeps pushing him for.
Storytelling affects everyone. Everything is an interpretation of the truth and affects the way we see ourselves and our histories. It can bring magic and wonder, sometimes giving us new ways to see situations, to understand and explore emotions.
Eren is a beautifully produced fairytale for both adults and children, about the power of imagination and how easily it spills into and influences our everyday lives.
- Bex.
