“Thornhill”
Written by Pam Smy
Reviewed by Diana Iozzia
“Thornhill” is a startling literary feat. In this
book, around 75 percent of the story is beautiful, monochromatic illustrations
and 25 percent of the story is told through diary entries.
In the illustrations, we see the story follow Ella,
a girl whose mother is sick, as she moves into her new home. She stares out of
the window and observes a dark and decrepit home. She spies a ghost-like girl
in the yard and begins to investigate. She finds dolls in the gated yard and
begins to unravel the mystery, as she finds a hidden diary. In the diary
entries, we hear from a selective mute orphan, Mary, who has been continuously bullied
by another girl at the orphanage, Thornhill.
As we continue to read the horrors of life at
Thornhill, we become suspiciously worried for Ella. Who has she been following
the ghost of? Mary or the vicious bully? Is Ella in danger? Was Mary in danger,
thirty years ago?
The story progresses drastically into a frightening
and vengeful plot, written and drawn in a taut and emotional manner. This story
evokes classic gothic stories, like those of Daphne du Marier, Edgar Allan Poe,
and Shirley Jackson. Truth be told, if you have a haunted house, I often am
intrigued.
I was very impressed by how interested I was in the
story. “Thornhill” is one of those creative, illustrated books for children
that absolutely should be read by other generations. I felt the themes of love,
loss, anger, revenge, and betrayal to be themes understood and relative to adults
as well. I would love to read and view more books and illustrations by Pam Smy.
I think this book is severely underrated, and many people should know more
about it.
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