Two

by Teodor Reljic

"It’s always like that: we grow up when we don’t want to. We grow up when we’re scared. We grow up when we don’t notice it."

Elizabeth, on her annual summer holiday in Malta with her family, suffers a heart attack and slips to a coma. With no sign of recovery on the horizon, her young son William is lost — his father disappears into himself, and his grandparents can offer nothing except more grief.

But William’s mother did leave something behind. Stories she would tell him, about a young boy named Vermillion, who lived between two hills in a distant land …

"She lets words fall one by one, like they’re meant to die after they leave her mouth to be reborn in your mind."

Then suddenly, a stranger appears. A stranger who seems to know more about Elizabeth than anyone else. Confronted by this unsettling character, William begins to suspect that his mother’s stories are more than just comforting fairy tales.

Get it from Amazon (UK): http://amzn.to/2u0KubR

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Clare Azzopardi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mhux faċli taqra ktieb b'vuċi ta' tifel ta' 9 snin u tikkonvinċik wara l-vuċi ta' Christopher f'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time jew Holden f'The Catcher in the Rye ... Imma Teodor Reljic irnexxielu jikkonvinċini u jżommni u stajt nempatizza u nissimpatizza sew mal-protagonist. Anki n-narrattiva ta' Vermillion hija interessanti u żżommok. Madankollu, meta bdejt naqra dan il-ktieb immaġinajt li se nsib iktar stramberiji fantastiċi (li fil-fatt m'hemmx) u mmaġinajtu se jkun inqas lineari (li fil-fatt hu). Forsi xtaqt xi ħaġa ftit iktar ikkumplikata jew forsi ftit iktar stramba, għax hekk pretendejt minn Teodor. Imma ma ġara xejn. Forsi li jmiss! :)

Dan ir-rumanzett għandu jaqrah kull min kien iħobb jisma' l-istejjer t'ommu, jew inkella kull min xtaq li għadda minn dik l-esperjenza jew waħda simili ... Lili ġabli ħafna memorji sbieħ.

[Miriam Calleja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delicate, fragile, poetic.
Opening, always opening, until you're on your tiptoes at the edge and you're not sure if you're going to fall in.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent narrative, told in a whisper that penetrates. The idea of having two levels of narrative that finally merge into one is brilliant. The story in general however lacks plot continuity and leaves too many unanswered questions that in my opinion are central to the story and critical to make the connection between the two parallel stories being told. Also, I found some parts and themes rather repetitive, which did not help the flow. I liked the transformation of William into Vermillion as he is self-baptized in the dirty water, emerging older, eager to face the challenges ahead. However I wanted to know how Henry fits in the story, about the kid hit by the car, what his mother’s notes really contained, what started the growing chasm between William and Victor and why Vermillion would hate his father for trying to keep him from harm. There’s a lot that has remained untold, and some of it would have made this good story great.

[Aran]

A compelling novella of guilt, uncertainty and discomfiting fairytale

Reljić understands that childlike doesn't mean childish. This short, readable novel is set -- largely -- from a young boy's perspective, alternated with the 'Vermilion Stories' which the boy's mother makes up for him. But if this premise sounds like something from an escapist fantasy *for* children, don't be fooled. In TWO, Reljić ably captures those aspects of a child's psyche which get left out of consolatory fantasies: unease, anger at a world which doesn't make sense yet, at times a genuine seething dislike for the adults they're supposed to love. The Vermilion stories, too, are dark and guilty, and complicate rather than allegorise the 'real-world' story they mirror: think more 'Pan's Labyrinth' than Narnia. Well worth reading for lovers of fantasy which provokes more than it consoles.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teodor Reljic is a good friend of mine so it's hard for me to write a review that is completely unbiased and objective. Even though, this is a great book.

It is a book that delves into many things. I'll just describe what it made me think about.

On the surface the book is about William and how he copes with his mother's heart attack.

It is also about growing up and realizing that you can't be a kid forever.

I also thought a lot about different dichotomies, the difference between youth and adulthood, between what is secret and what is known, between the past and the present, and between truth and lies.

No matter how much you think you might know a person they will have a hidden part of themselves that they guard jealously, that you might never be able to penetrate.

There are some very profound sentiments in the novel as William grapples with everything that is happening. He slowly gains knowledge and loses innocence. I keep think of William Blake as I write this.

The book leaves you thinking about many things once you reach the last page. I cannot say that the story ends there, as William seems to just be at the start of his journey.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll write and rate the novel after my book club meeting :)