Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Protagonist archetypes
Themes
Synopsis
The author’s second novel, The Book of Days consists of a short story told each day by a man trying to talk himself back to sanity. A kind of literary sampler quilt, these daily inventions emulate the styles of everything from traditional ghost stories to the works of O’Henry and James Whitcomb Riley, from westerns to fifties science fiction to boy’s own adventure stories. As a sequence illustrating the narrator’s deep internal struggle, these dark stories take on additional weight, making each one a sharp shock that builds to an electrifying whole.
Is The Book of Days appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
A psychologically complex literary fantasy exploring mental illness through interconnected dark stories. Contains mature themes of psychological distress and experimental narrative structure that may be challenging for younger readers.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, no sexual content, and moderate language. Content notes include mental illness, psychological distress, and depression (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Teens interested in experimental storytelling and psychological exploration will find this narrator's journey through dark tales compelling and thought-provoking.