'An orphan is travelling through the deep, dark woods and discovers that the monsters she encounters are as much tragic as wicked and that the handsome young prince may be ugly inside. The world around her is callous, unjust and horribly scarred by the past. But she brings compassion and even a glimmer of hope.'
Summer 1923. The modern world. Orphaned Lucy Marsh climbs into the back of the old army truck and is whisked off to the woods, where the funny men live. If she can only avoid all the hazards on the path, she may just survive into a bright new tomorrow.
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[Sunday evening after tea, she travels out of town and through the woods to visit with the funny men]***
(Salt Publishing, 15 April 2017, 384 pages, ebook, borrowed from my library)
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This is my first time reading the author. I don't quite know what to make of this intense, disturbing book. The book is written in the style of a fable. At first, I thought Lucy and her friend's visiting the funny men, war veterans left hideously scarred, was perfectly innocent. It seemed to be. Lucy and her friends are paid to be companions of these funny men and they tell stories and play games. But things gradually take a darker and more sinister turn. The book is very subtly written. The true purpose of Lucy and her friends is horrifying but the book isn't graphic and it took a while for me to realise what's going on. The second half of the book is much darker and intense. This is a well-written book even though it gave me a severe case of the creeps.
