Everyone in a small town has secrets, but newcomer Christopher Reese’s is perhaps the biggest secret of all; the lives of everyone in Mill Grove, Pennsylvania hinge upon Christopher ...and the “imaginary friend” he met in the Mission Street Woods.
Stephen Chbosky’s second book is nothing like his first, so don’t delve between the covers expecting ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ 2.0. ‘Imaginary Friend’ is the perfect mashup of horror, mystery, and fantasy. It’s ominous and dark, but not so scary that you’ll need to sleep with the lights on. There are plot twists galore to keep you on your toes. It’s a little confusing, and a lot weird. Resemblant of ‘IT’ and ‘Good Omens’, ‘Imaginary Friend’ reads like the lovechild of Stephen King and Neil Gaiman.
In terms of content, ‘Imaginary Friend’ has a little bit of everything. The story could be interpreted as an analogy for mental illness, or religion, or it could be exactly as it seems: a fantastical far-out story about a child who has to prevent the world from ending. There are frequent mentions of self-harm and abuse, as well as hints of whimsy. The book prompts introspection, but it’s also funny. If you read and liked Jonas Jonasson’s ‘The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared’, then the tone of the humour in this book will tickle your fancy. My favourite quote: “I know how to be blind, motherf**”.
Chbosky’s world-building sucks you in and refuses to spit you out, so that you’ll find yourself thinking about the book even when you’re not reading it. I’ve never seen an author use simile as effectively as Chbosky does. My only criticism of his writing style is that some parts of ‘Imaginary Friend’ seem a little rushed, as if the author was so excited to finish writing the book that he didn’t necessarily fine-tune as he wrote. I don’t really blame him, I couldn’t wait to find out what happened at the end either, but there were a few sentences peppered throughout the pages that made me stop and think “hang on… that didn’t make sense”.
Speaking of endings, this one left me a little dissatisfied. I’ve never been a fan of when a book is left open-ended: I like all my events to be tied off nicely. It almost seems as if Chbosky has left himself some wiggle room to pen a sequel, but I wanted something more conclusive. I wanted to see the good guys win in an undoubtedly definite way. I wanted Kate Reese, the fierce mother figure, to have the happy marriage she deserved. I wanted… well, more. Without giving away too much, the ending seemed like a bit of a cop out, akin to Harry Potter defeating Voldemort with “the power of love”.
It’s still, however, a great read. You’ll have the occasional chuckle and might shed a tear or two, you’ll probably experience more than a few “WTF??” moments, and you’ll most likely thoroughly enjoy it. Don’t let the size of the book deter you – it’s an easy read with bite-sized chapters and non-complicated language.
Overall, ‘Imaginary Friend’ is a solid 8/10. It didn’t manage to squeeze its way onto my ever-growing list of all-time favourite titles, but it’s definitely a read I’d recommend.