Book Review: Timothy Other: The Boy Who Climbed Marzipan Mountain by L. Sydney Abel (*Review Copy*)

There were a few niggles that I had with the story. The first issue was on page 39 where there is a bit of repitition in referring to the pilots as “those poor broken bodies“. I am aware that I am being pedantic with this point, however I am not sure there was any reason why Timothy would know them to be “broken” when he did not see the pilots following that specific event. 

Another issue that really stood out to me is the fact that some of the dialogue is maybe not what I would have expected to see within the book and I fully accept that this is based upon my expectations and is not necessarily a criticism of the book. Timothy appears to use a lot of sarcasm or mocking humour in a way that sometimes seems quite unpleasant. The author has kindly explained to me that whilst Timothy does use sarcasm or mocking humour, this is because he is still coming to terms with the fact that he is having a conversation with two unusual and unexpected characters. Sarcasm is his way of dealing with the situation. The author also explains that sarcasm is often used in the real world between friends and I accept that this manner of speech has been included as a realistic element within the story. 

Finally, one item that stuck in my mind was on page 42 where one character refers to another as a “gluttonous fat fool“. The author has explained that the two characters in question had only just gained the ability to speak and had not been taught the hurtful nature of calling  people names, as such they state the obvious without thought. There is also a point later in the book (which I will not divulge as I don’t want to ruin the story for anyone) which explains why one of the characters was deliberately gorging on food during the earlier chapters. I accept that the phrase may not have been said between the characters in a malicious way, the two being best of friends, however I am still slightly uncomfortable with the way that a phrase about weight/size could be perceived as an insult/slur. 

My comments above are not intended to be criticisms of the story, but merely my thoughts whilst reading the book. I am aware of how easy it is to find issues/criticisms within a story/book when reading it for the purpose of reviewing and it is very possible  that someone reading the same book for pleasure will not notice those same issues. As such, I do not intend to run through every ‘niggle’ that I had with the book as most will relate to my personal taste rather than any fault with the story.

The characters are well developed and you really feel for Timothy and his friends, Leopold and Edwin, as they work together to try to save the orphanage from the hands of the hateful Mr Sterner and Ms Finn, not to mention the evil Mr Hargreaves.