From the minute I saw the title of this book in the charity shop when I was trying to find “halloween themed” books, I knew I just had to buy it. And after reading ‘Not suitable for younger readers’ written on the back my interest and curiosity were provoked.
The Stuff of Nightmares is based around a teenager, Kyle, who whilst on a train journey with his class ends up in a crash and is stranded waiting on emergency services. Not only is he living the nightmare of being in a train crash, but Kyle must travel into his friends minds and live through their worst nightmares all to avoid looming Death. Or is it really Death at all?
Overall, I fairly enjoyed this book. It was like nothing I have ever read before, and the fact alone makes it stand out in my bookshelf. I enjoyed the way in which the book was written. There is the main narrative coming from Kyle on the train, but is broken up with the different characters nightmares which almost felt like little short stories. As I continued to read through the book I got a small sense of accomplishment as I completed lots of “short stories” which motivated me to continue reading. I am definitely someone who struggles to read a book with big chapters. My brain tends to lose concentration easily (not the best for reading at all) so small chapters help me stay focused and in turn helps me to read more as I’m not thrown off from the next chapter being too large. This mixed with the way the book is written, the easy to understand language and overall composure of the book made it very easy and enjoyable to read.
Now don’t be thrown of by the word “nightmares” in the title, it isn’t scary monsters or ghost or spooky things. The nightmares which each character face are genuine, everyday nightmares that normal people would have once they’ve fallen asleep. It’s an interesting look into different peoples minds and what peoples fear can be. From death to unusual worlds to struggling to be accepted, these are fears that you or I could have. And to me, that makes this book even scarier than if there were ghosts and monsters. The thought of peoples deepest fear becoming reality, makes you worry incase the same thing were to happen to you.
Without trying to give any spoilers away, at some point in the book there is a moment where a character is faced with a dead relative. This scene in the book really hit home with me, as someone who lost a parent at a young age. The conversation between them was so honest and simple, but yet hit the nail on the head about the fears everyone has about losing someone when there is some unfinished business. This conversation is one I’ve always wished I could have with my mum, so seeing it written out so beautifully in a book made me beyond happy, so thank you Blackman!
I will warn you, this book took me a few chapters to get into. By the end of the second chapter I was so confused about what was going on as my brain just hadn’t fully grasped the concept of the book, but after about four or five chapters I got it. And I am so glad I didn’t just give up and I decided to stick it out, this book was worth it. I ended up bending the spine of this book (sorry all anti-spin benders) as I was almost trying to shove the book into my face so I could read it more intensely, like that would have helped at all.
I wasn’t totally shocked by the ending. I didn’t find it a total major twist or anything, and if I actually tried at some point during the book I probably could have guessed how it would play out. But, for maybe the first time, I didn’t try to guess the ending of this book. I wasn’t looking for the big twist or the shocking reveal, but instead actually just enjoyed reading all the nightmares throughout the book and getting lost in them.
I am so glad this book stood out to me in a charity shop, otherwise I never would have thought about reading it. From now on I will be keeping an eye out for more Malorie Blackman books, so if anyone has any suggestions please do let me know!
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