I'm invisible. Ma says I'm supposed to be so the Authorities don't get me. She goes out into the streets almost every day but I'm not allowed. I've got to stay inside the mill so they don't see me.
In an old, abandoned mill, a girl and her ma take shelter from their memories of life on the streets, and watch the busy world go by. The girl calls it the Castle because it's the biggest place they've ever stayed, a home of her own like no other. The windows are boarded up and the floorboards are falling in but for her neither of those things matter.
Then developers show up, and it's clear that their lives are about to change forever. Desperate to save their refuge from the Authorities and her mother from her own personal demons, the girl seeks out the ghosts of the mill. And with only Caretaker the old man who's slept outside the mill for decades around to answer her questions, she begins to wonder what kind of ghosts are haunting both the mill and her mother
MY THOUGHTS
This was a very interesting read and even now, weeks after finishing it, I am finding a hard time collecting my thoughts.
The book centers around a young girl and her mother, who are homeless. They live within an abandoned mill which the girl sees as her own castle. She explores the Castle, building her own areas, drawing on the walls, and spying on the people from the roof. But she can't leave the Castle, or let anyone but the Caretaker see her, lest the Authorities take her away. Now, the Authorities have come to the Castle, but not for her. They have come to take her Castle. With her Ma going back to her previous problems and a ghost maybe taking a tour of the Castle, the girl doesn't know what to do.
It took a while to get into this book. Not only is the story a bit slow at first, but the writing style is a bit different. We occasionally get flashbacks immersed in the present and it takes some getting used to. Once I got used to it, I was deeply invested in the story. The story is terribly sad and it hurt my heart seeing her living like this, especially since she is happy with this life and expects them to go back to Grandma soon. Part of what also invested me was to see how things connected together. The flashbacks go in sequential order, with the present story in between, so I was flipping through the pages to find out what made them live in the mill and I really wanted to see her get a happy ending.
One of the biggest factors of this book, though, was the ending. I did not expect that ending! Maybe I should have. There was a moment when I guessed something similar, but I did not guess correctly. I am torn about this book because of the twist. It's a great twist, but some things don't completely add up. Maybe if I reread the book it might make more sense, but I feel like there are a few things that aren't really clarified, so while the twist was interesting and surprising, it made me confused.
IN CONCLUSION
Overall, I did like this book. Though, "like" is a weird description for how this book made me feel. This book hurt my heart and surprised the heck out of me, whilst making me deeply invested in the storyline. This is a really sad book, of course, so if you want a sad realistic story, with a twist, pick this one up. I think I will be picking up future books by this author.
I hereby give this book
3.5 Stars
Meaning: I liked it, but it wasn't quite amazing.
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