Have promised this to another Bookcrosser so I'm registering it now and will start reading it soon.

I was kind of disappointed by this book, I expected it to be so much more.

*There are some spoilers in the review below so don't read any further if you haven't read it yet.*

At first the premise seemed interesting and I was curious to see how the author would make it work and justify the changes, but really, he just took an impossible idea and then spent half the book showing why it would never work.

Another thing that really bugged me is that most of the melancholic people we met were all seriously mentally disturbed. Mental illness isn't a personality type. Anyone of any disposition can have it. Being an alcoholic, an insomniac, or thinking you are made out of butter doesn't automatically mean you are melancholic. It's a disposition to a certain point of view, how you react to things that gives you your type. Feeling happy doesn't make you a sanguine either, just as getting angry at something doesn't immediately change your basic type into a choleric.

The main character himself was kind of cold. He turned away from his parents when he was being taken away from them, embarrassed (!?) because they called for him and reached out to him. He drifted away from his adoptive family, he abandoned his girlfriend without hesitation, he endangered others but didn't seem to have any feelings about them except curiosity, and he didn't actually do anything positive at any point, just running away, hiding, disguising himself and running away some more, for pretty self-involved reasons. He never actually helped anyone or made a difference in someone's life, not even his adoptive family's.

Finally, the supernatural elements introduced with the white people and with a certain character that appears towards the end were left completely unexplained and in my opinion, entirely superfluous, as were some unconvincing chance encounters that never lead to anything (such as Matthew/Thomas bumping into someone he knew from his old life, talking to him for a bit, then parting ways, never to hear form him again).

In all, it was an interesting read, but not as good as I hoped it was going to be.

I sent it to Vekiki yesterday :-)

Thanks for sending this. A friend of mine recommended it to me after reading one of my favourites (Onyx & Crake by Margeret Atwood), so I'm looking forward to it.

Thanks also for the really cool acrylic pieces - they're great! I love how you doodle on the evelopes too :)

leaving this on the library shelf in our green room

If you found this book, welcome to Bookcrossing! I hope you enjoy it. Please feel free to keep the book, or pass it on once you've read it - it'd be great if you could let us know that you've got it, and what you plan to do with it (you can remain anonymous if you wish, or sign up for free and become a part of our lovely bookcrossing community). Thanks!

I'm leaving a bag of books in the carpenters estate as a show of support for the community action taking place there currently. You guys are amazing!

If you found this book, welcome to Bookcrossing! I hope you enjoy it. Please feel free to keep the book, or pass it on once you've read it - it'd be great if you could let us know that you've got it, and what you plan to do with it (you can remain anonymous if you wish, or sign up for free and become a part of our lovely bookcrossing community). Thanks!