Charles de Lint's The Blue Girl
I recently finished my first Charles de Lint novel -- The Blue Girl. I'm glad I had picked it up -- sometime ago, and just stashed it in the pile of books I had every intention to read -- eventually, someday. That someday came along recently, and I finished the book way too fast. It was a pleasure to read.
Charles de Lint writes fantasy novels, in an urban, contemporary setting, weaving magic into the everyday world you and I wander through without a second thought. The Blue Girl is set in the fictional North American city of Newford, which I place in Canada, since de Lint lives in Ottawa. The protagonists are two 17-year-old high school girls, Maxine and Imogene, who meet for the first time in their final year of high school. Both are outsiders, not fitting into the cool kids crowd -- because they're too smart, and weird. Maxine is the smart one, cloistered by her mother and endures the bullying any nerd would be familiar with. Imogene is the weird one, new to Redding High with a shady past, trying to reinvent herself for her final year. When the girls meet, they find they have way much in common, beyond being a target for the bullying cheerleaders and football players.
Things start getting weird for the girls after they befriend the high school ghost, Adrian and come to the attention of the malicious fairies living in Redding High. Imogene's childhood invisible friend starts to reappear in her dreams then comes to life outside her dreams. All this dabbling with otherworldly inhabitants is fun enough, but things take a turn for the worse when the creatures lurking in the shadows take notice and develop a hunger for the light of Imogene's soul. Imogene and Maxine will have to fight, with the help from their new-found allies, if they want to live.
De Lint crafted a great story, that got me hooked on the characters early on, and kept me coming back for more. It was a bit disappointing to have it end, as I felt there were more adventures in store for Maxine and Imogene -- not to mention the unexplored territory of Fairyland. I have one other de Lint novel on my bookshelf -- an earlier novel -- and since he's written quite a few books, I think I may yet have a chance to explore more of Newford and the world that lurks just beyond the well traveled urban path.
Charles de Lint writes fantasy novels, in an urban, contemporary setting, weaving magic into the everyday world you and I wander through without a second thought. The Blue Girl is set in the fictional North American city of Newford, which I place in Canada, since de Lint lives in Ottawa. The protagonists are two 17-year-old high school girls, Maxine and Imogene, who meet for the first time in their final year of high school. Both are outsiders, not fitting into the cool kids crowd -- because they're too smart, and weird. Maxine is the smart one, cloistered by her mother and endures the bullying any nerd would be familiar with. Imogene is the weird one, new to Redding High with a shady past, trying to reinvent herself for her final year. When the girls meet, they find they have way much in common, beyond being a target for the bullying cheerleaders and football players.
Things start getting weird for the girls after they befriend the high school ghost, Adrian and come to the attention of the malicious fairies living in Redding High. Imogene's childhood invisible friend starts to reappear in her dreams then comes to life outside her dreams. All this dabbling with otherworldly inhabitants is fun enough, but things take a turn for the worse when the creatures lurking in the shadows take notice and develop a hunger for the light of Imogene's soul. Imogene and Maxine will have to fight, with the help from their new-found allies, if they want to live.
De Lint crafted a great story, that got me hooked on the characters early on, and kept me coming back for more. It was a bit disappointing to have it end, as I felt there were more adventures in store for Maxine and Imogene -- not to mention the unexplored territory of Fairyland. I have one other de Lint novel on my bookshelf -- an earlier novel -- and since he's written quite a few books, I think I may yet have a chance to explore more of Newford and the world that lurks just beyond the well traveled urban path.
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