A Literary Vacation : Coming-of-Age

Pub. Date: January 9th, 2018

Publisher: Crown

Pages: 288

Genres: Fiction / Contemporary Fiction / Crime / Thriller / Mystery / Suspense

Synopsis

The must-read thriller of 2018, this riveting and relentlessly compelling psychological suspense debut weaves a mystery about a childhood game gone dangerously awry that will keep readers guessing right up to the shocking ending

In 1986, Eddie and his friends are just kids on the verge of adolescence. They spend their days biking around their sleepy little English village and looking for any taste of excitement they can get. The chalk men are their secret code; little chalk stick figures they leave for one another as messages only they can understand. But then a mysterious chalk man leads them right to a dismembered body, and nothing is ever the same.

In 2016, Eddie is fully grown, and thinks he’s put his past behind him. But then he gets a letter in the mail, containing a single chalk stick figure. When it turns out that his friends got the same message, they think it could be a prank . . . until one of them turns up dead.

That’s when Eddie realizes that saving himself means finally figuring out what really happened all those years ago.

Expertly alternating between flashbacks and the present day, The Chalk Man is the very best kind of suspense novel, one where every character is wonderfully fleshed out and compelling, where every mystery has a satisfying payoff, and where the twists will shock even the savviest reader.

What Did I Think About the Story?

Like so many readers I'm often skeptical when I read a book is "the next big thriller' or "the most anticipated book of the year". I get so excited yet also nervous that my expectations will be set too high and I'll end up disappointed. So, while I have to admit I was drawn to The Chalk Man based on its hype-inducing synopsis, I went into it with an open mind and tamed expectations. I'm glad to say that the book turned out to be quite mysterious and page-turning, with an ending that completely surprised me.

The story travels back and forth between 1986, when Eddie and his friends have a topsy-turvy year full of heartache and horror, and 2016, when the past seems to be bringing up long buried secrets and truths that no one really wants to deal with. What I enjoyed most about this back and forth style of storytelling in this instance was how C.J. Tudor used it to unweave the tangled lies and half-truths that everyone in this small village seemed to be harboring, including Eddie. We also get to witness the loss of innocence these characters go through as kids and how that comes to affect the adults they become. So much of what is revealed during the story turns out to be more about these seemingly small actions - whether as revenge or a joke or something else - that end up having much bigger and far-reaching consequences than any of the characters anticipated. And as soon as we get to see the unraveling of one mystery - bam! - you're switching back to the other storyline and you have to wait to go back and see how the actual truth will affect the remaining mysteries. It's a delicious bait-and-switch situation!

The other aspect of the story I enjoyed immensely was how Tudor lolls the reader into a sense of security with something ordinary and simplistic and then throws in shocks that you can't see coming. I don't want to give anything away so I won't go into specifics, but every time I felt like I was reading some passage of the story meant to fill in information - a trip to the fair, kids meeting up at the park, a birthday party - something unexpected and, often, devastating ended up happening and I found myself having to catch my breath. All I'll say is this small village has some unbelievably screwed up secrets in its past and I loved learning about each one.

Finally, let me just tell you that the ending actually stopped me in my tracks and made me go back and read to make sure I was really reading what I thought I was reading. It was such a gut-punch shock that I literally had to put it down, wait a minute, and pick it back up again. My boss was reading it at the same time and, when I asked her if she finished, she had the same reaction as I did..."oh my god can you believe the ending!". It might be one of the best thriller endings I've read in a while and just the best surprise I could have never expected.

The Chalk Man is, in fact, a must-read thriller. While some of the narrative is understated and leads you into a false sense of a "coming of age" sweetness underlying the bad things that have happened, the horrors that are revealed in this town are much darker and lead you to the real moral of this story: do not assume anything because, if you do, you are in for an awakening. I can't wait to read what C.J. Tudor writes next!

What Did I Think About the Cover?

At first I thought it was just okay. The Chalk slashes obviously fit in with the story, but it's the fair ride in the background - which I didn't see at first - that really represents the start of all the chaos within the story. Now, knowing this, I really like the cover and think the cover artists did a great job with it.

My Rating: 4.5/5.0

I received a copy of The Chalk Man from TLC Book Tours and Crown Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! Continue below for more information about the book, the author, and the tour.

Praise for The Chalk Man

“Readers will undoubtedly be reminded of the kids of Stand by Me and even IT…[the] first-person narration alternates between past and present, taking full advantage of chapter-ending cliffhangers. A swift, cleverly plotted debut novel that ably captures the insular, slightly sinister feel of a small village. Children of the 1980s will enjoy the nostalgia.”—Kirkus

“I haven’t had a sleepless night due to a book for a long time. The Chalk Man changed that.” —Fiona Barton, New York Times bestselling author of The Widow

Buy the Book

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Nobl e

About the Author

C. J. TUDOR lives in Nottingham, England, with her partner and three-year-old daughter. Over the years she has worked as a copywriter, television presenter, voice-over, and dog walker. She is now thrilled to be able to write full-time, and doesn’t miss chasing wet dogs through muddy fields all that much. The Chalk Man is her first novel.

Connect with C.J. on Facebook and Twitter.

TLC Book Tours Schedule

Monday, January 8th: Katy’s Library blog and @katyslibrary
Monday, January 8th: Jenn’s Bookshelves
Tuesday, January 9th: Bookworm Everlasting blog and @everlasting.charm
Tuesday, January 9th: Clues and Reviews and @cluesandreviews
Tuesday, January 9th: 5 Minutes for Books
Wednesday, January 10th: She Treads Softly
Wednesday, January 10th: Moonlight Rendezvous
Wednesday, January 10th: Tome Tender
Thursday, January 11th: Books a la Mode – author guest post
Thursday, January 11th: Rockin’ & Reviewing
Friday, January 12th: Snowdrop Dreams
Friday, January 12th: Jathan and Heather
Monday, January 15th: BookBub Blog – author guest post “Eight Thrillers with Scary Children/Teenagers”
Tuesday, January 16th: Bewitched Bookworms
Tuesday, January 16th: Booksie’s Blog
Wednesday, January 17th: Suzy Approved
Wednesday, January 17th: A Chick Who Reads
Thursday, January 18th: Lit Wit Wine Dine
Thursday, January 18th: Bibliotica
Friday, January 19th: Write Read Life
Monday, January 22nd: What is That Book About
Monday, January 22nd: Ms. Nose in a Book
Tuesday, January 23rd: A Bookworm’s World
Tuesday, January 23rd: The Book Diva’s Reads
Wednesday, January 24th: Girl Who Reads
Thursday, January 25th: Black ‘n Gold Girl’s Reviews
Friday, January 26th: Lovely Bookshelf
Monday, January 29th: Novel Gossip blog and @novelgossip
Monday, January 29th: A Literary Vacation
Monday, January 29th: Patricia’s Wisdom
Tuesday, January 30th: From the TBR Pile
Wednesday, January 31st: Staircase Wit
Thursday, February 1st: No More Grumpy Bookseller

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Pub. Date: July 7th, 2011
Length: 8 hours, 31 minutes

Genres: YA / Mystery / Crime Drama / Suspense / Fiction

Synopsis

Thirteen-year-old Lizzie Hood and her next-door neighbor Evie Verver are inseparable, best friends who swap clothes, bathing suits, and field-hockey sticks and between whom-presumably-there are no secrets. Then one afternoon, Evie disappears, and as a rabid, giddy panic spreads through the balmy suburban community, everyone turns to Lizzie for answers. Was Evie unhappy, troubled, or upset? Had she mentioned being followed? Would she have gotten into the car of a stranger?

Compelled by curiosity, Lizzie takes up her own furtive pursuit of the truth. Haunted by dreams of her lost friend and titillated by her own new power at the center of the disappearance, Lizzie uncovers secret after secret and begins to wonder if she knew anything at all about her best friend.

What Did I Think About the Story?

I've never been a huge fan of Young Adult novels, but when this Kindle/Audiobook combo went on sale I thought it sounded like an interesting enough audiobook to give a go on my commute to work. I've become quite a sucker for a good mystery, and the promise of finding out what really happened to Evie and what these characters could possibly be hiding was a huge draw. I'm glad to say the story provided me with hours of entertainment, as well as an interesting coming-of-age tale that I wasn't quite expecting.

I think the "big mystery" surrounding what really happened to Evie and the effects her disappearance has on everyone around her - especially Lizzie - and it's aftermath was well done if somewhat underwhelming from what I was expecting. It kept me listening as I was pretty sure what was unfolding was not the whole truth. Lizzie herself was such an interesting character, not only because the story is told from her point of view but because her growth outshines everything else for me, including Evie. This girl, who's in that awkward point in life when you're not really a girl but not yet a woman, thinks she knows so much about life but really knows so little and ends up making some horrific choices that change everything, all in the name of doing what she thinks is right for her best friend. I found it so sad to see Lizzie's magical illusions about her friend and her friend's family fall apart once she discovers the truth. Her innocence seems to disappear before the reader's eyes, and as everyone knows you can't un-know what you learn. This end of innocence ends up happening for more characters than just Lizzie, but it's Lizzie's struggle in growing up and facing the truths before her that I really enjoyed.

The other big aspect that I enjoyed was the narrator herself. For me, a huge part of really enjoying an audiobook is the voice and talent of the narrator (or narrators if you're lucky enough to get more than one). The narrator of The End of Everything was phenomenal (Emily Bauer), having the perfect voice to represent a girl in her early teens. Beyond her ability to make me believe she was this young girl, she did an excellent job of keeping up a constant urgency and tension in her voice, making me feel like the strain and uncertainty always in the background of the story was going to burst open at any minute.

At the end of the day, I found The End of Everything to be more of a coming of age story than a solid mystery. I did enjoy that we actually find out what happened to Evie, however it seemed somewhat anticlimactic compared to what I was expecting from the description. However I still found it quite enjoyable and I was impressed enough with the writing style of the author to have added more of her books to my wish list.

What Did I Think About the Cover?

I like it, although I don't think it represents the story as well as it could. The colors are pleasant and I like the idea of one of our main girls (I like to think it's Lizzie) being sort of incapsulated in this silent world of water away from the realities actually happening around her, but I think I might be stretching to find meaning in the image.

My Rating: 3.5/5.0

I purchased the Kindle/Audible audiobook versions of The End of Everything for my own collection. You can read more reviews about the book and find links to where you can purchase your own copy on Goodreads.