Book Review by Grace
Title: Gossamer
Written by: Lois Lowry
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication Date: 2006
Paperback: 144 pages
“She reached out and fluttered her fingers very lightly against him. “And you told me once that my touch was like gossamer.”
… Thin Elderly nodded. “Your touch is exquisitely dainty, Littlest One. I don’t believe I’ve ever known a daintier one…”” (page 78)
While the Merriam Webster dictionary definition of gossamer is: ‘something light, delicate, or insubstantial’, Lois Lowry’s book is quite the opposite.
The book opens with a whimsical conversation between Littlest One and her mentor who is teaching her how to “bestow” dreams onto humans. As they collect memories for the dreams, Littlest One pesters her mentor about what their kind are – a question that is never fully answered.
The story quickly takes a darker turn as we explore the lives of three humans (and another “bestow-er”) whose fates are seamlessly twisted together in a struggle to not give in to the blackness within.
When I take a step back, I find that this book could be yet another clichéd story about the battle between dark and light – the good and bad in all of us. But Lowry blends the fantasy realm of Littlest One with our own world in such a unique and beautiful way, I couldn’t help but fall in love with this novella.
It is difficult to pin this book down to an exact genre, it is fantasy but like many other Lois Lowry books, tackles hard, real world issues. So I recommend this book to people who enjoyed The Giver Quartet, and (while not exactly in the same “fantasy/real world” genre) the Inkheart Trilogy (review HERE).
For More Information about the Book and Author Click: HERE
Age Range: 10 and up
Cautions –
Violence: John’s father was abusive to both him and his mother, and while the book lightly depicts the physical abuse, it does linger on the mental abuse John faced while being treated like a dog. John is cruel to his foster grandmother’s dog.
Sensuality: Littlest One says she loves John but Thin Elderly quickly halts her forbidden emotion.
Profanity: none
Other: John is disrespectful to his foster grandmother.
Personal Rating: 4 ½ out of 5 stars
Cleanness Rating: 4 ½ out of 5 stars
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