What do you think?
Rate this book
Amigos nocturnos
Sam Southall y sus amigos son como cualquier otra pandilla de jóvenes. Holgazanean por los alrededores de su ciudad mientras desafían a los adultos a poner a prueba su libertad... hasta la noche en que Sam encuentra una duende a los pies de su cama. No una duende bondadosa como las de los cuentos infantiles, sino una presencia malévola e inquietante que se mofa de sus miedos y limitaciones y abre las puertas a su lado más tenebroso.
316 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
106 people are currently reading
4078 people want to read
About the author
Graham Joyce
73 books570 followersGraham Joyce (22 October 1954 – 9 September 2014) was an English writer of speculative fiction and the recipient of numerous awards for both his novels and short stories.
After receiving a B.Ed. from Bishop Lonsdale College in 1977 and a M.A. from the University of Leicester in 1980. Joyce worked as a youth officer for the National Association of Youth Clubs until 1988. He subsequently quit his position and moved to the Greek islands of Lesbos and Crete to write his first novel, Dreamside. After selling Dreamside to Pan Books in 1991, Joyce moved back to England to pursue a career as a full-time writer.
Graham Joyce resided in Leicester with his wife, Suzanne Johnsen, and their two children, Joseph and Ella. He taught Creative Writing to graduate students at Nottingham Trent University from 1996 until his death, and was made a Reader in Creative Writing.
Joyce died on 9 September 2014. He had been diagnosed with lymphoma in 2013.
After receiving a B.Ed. from Bishop Lonsdale College in 1977 and a M.A. from the University of Leicester in 1980. Joyce worked as a youth officer for the National Association of Youth Clubs until 1988. He subsequently quit his position and moved to the Greek islands of Lesbos and Crete to write his first novel, Dreamside. After selling Dreamside to Pan Books in 1991, Joyce moved back to England to pursue a career as a full-time writer.
Graham Joyce resided in Leicester with his wife, Suzanne Johnsen, and their two children, Joseph and Ella. He taught Creative Writing to graduate students at Nottingham Trent University from 1996 until his death, and was made a Reader in Creative Writing.
Joyce died on 9 September 2014. He had been diagnosed with lymphoma in 2013.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 342 reviews
December 2, 2018
Μια ομάδα παιδιών που μεγαλώνουν στην ίδια γειτονιά και ενηλικιώνονται, περνώντας όλα τα στάδια της παιδικής, εφηβικής, νεανικής και ενήλικης ζωής τους σαν ταινία φαντασίας, με όνειρα και εφιάλτες, δεν είναι κάτι καινούργιο, ιδιαίτερο ή πρωτότυπο, που θα υποσχεθεί συγγραφικές καινοτομίες.
Ο Γκράχαμ Τζόυς όμως, κατά κάποιο τρόπο, καταφέρνει αυτό το συγγραφικό σενάριο να το αναδείξει ως φρέσκο, διαφορετικό και ρεαλιστικά φρικιαστικό.
Ίσως επειδή η γραφή του έχει μια γλυκιά δολιότητα, μια υποδεέστερη αβεβαιότητα, απλή και άμεση σχετικά με τα κίνητρα του κακού.
Η πένα του ρίχνει σπόρους αμφιβολίας καλυμμένους κάτω απο λουλούδια παρανοϊκής ευγένειας, έτσι ώστε, να μπερδεύει την ευωδία της φύσης με εξωπραγματικά λιπάσματα απο αίμα και πόνο.
Στα καρπερά χώματα των εγκλημάτων ευδοκιμούν τα πτωματολούλουδα που δεν διευκρινίζουν την ιδιότητα ή την επιρροή τους.
Γνωρίζουμε όμως την τοποθεσία τους, κάπου βαθιά μέσα σε διαταραγμένα διανοητικά δάση και σε ψηλές απόκρημνες πλαγιές μέσα σε σκοτεινά φαράγγια ψυχοδράματος.
Παιδικές και ενήλικες καρδιές σε ρυθμό υπερέντασης, άγχους και συνειδητής απόγνωσης.
Η ερώτηση που προκύπτει υποκειμενικά για την ιέρεια της παιδικής φαντασίας, ως νεράιδα των δοντιών, αναζητά απάντηση αναφορικά με τα χαρακτηριστικά της νεράιδας, αν είναι μία καλή ή καλή επιρροή και όχι αν είναι πραγματική ή πλάσμα αναγκαίο μόνο στο πλαίσιο της παιδικής ψυχολογικής διέγερσης.
Αργά και απολαυστικά ο αναγνώστης συνειδητοποιεί πως η νεράιδα των δοντιών πραγματική ή όχι, αποτελεί μια μεταφορά για ορισμένες πτυχές της ύπαρξης ενός παιδιού.
Επιφανειακά, έχουμε μια απλή ιστορία, για ένα αγοράκι που άθελα του μαστίζεται απο κάποιον παιδικό δαίμονα.
Σκάβοντας βαθύτερα όμως φαίνονται οι σπόροι του ψυχοδράματος της πραγματικότητας.
Η ανάπτυξη των σπόρων αυτών με το κατάλληλο λίπασμα απο εμμονές και φοβίες αποκαλύπτουν πως όλοι έχουμε αυτές τις δαιμονικές μάστιγες στη ζωή μας. Η αντιμετώπιση τους είναι μία διαδικασία ωρίμανσης.
Η νεράιδα των δοντιών δουλεμένη σε μια φόρμουλα συναρπαστικής φαντασίας, δυνατής μαγείας, ανατριχιαστικής φρεσκάδας και αστρικής σεξουαλικότητας καταφέρνει με μεγάλη επιτυχία να αποδώσει μια φανταστική απεικόνιση των βλαβών και διαταραχών που ταλανίζουν την ανθρώπινη ψυχολογική ενέργεια.
Καλή ανάγνωση.
Πολλούς ασπασμούς.
Ο Γκράχαμ Τζόυς όμως, κατά κάποιο τρόπο, καταφέρνει αυτό το συγγραφικό σενάριο να το αναδείξει ως φρέσκο, διαφορετικό και ρεαλιστικά φρικιαστικό.
Ίσως επειδή η γραφή του έχει μια γλυκιά δολιότητα, μια υποδεέστερη αβεβαιότητα, απλή και άμεση σχετικά με τα κίνητρα του κακού.
Η πένα του ρίχνει σπόρους αμφιβολίας καλυμμένους κάτω απο λουλούδια παρανοϊκής ευγένειας, έτσι ώστε, να μπερδεύει την ευωδία της φύσης με εξωπραγματικά λιπάσματα απο αίμα και πόνο.
Στα καρπερά χώματα των εγκλημάτων ευδοκιμούν τα πτωματολούλουδα που δεν διευκρινίζουν την ιδιότητα ή την επιρροή τους.
Γνωρίζουμε όμως την τοποθεσία τους, κάπου βαθιά μέσα σε διαταραγμένα διανοητικά δάση και σε ψηλές απόκρημνες πλαγιές μέσα σε σκοτεινά φαράγγια ψυχοδράματος.
Παιδικές και ενήλικες καρδιές σε ρυθμό υπερέντασης, άγχους και συνειδητής απόγνωσης.
Η ερώτηση που προκύπτει υποκειμενικά για την ιέρεια της παιδικής φαντασίας, ως νεράιδα των δοντιών, αναζητά απάντηση αναφορικά με τα χαρακτηριστικά της νεράιδας, αν είναι μία καλή ή καλή επιρροή και όχι αν είναι πραγματική ή πλάσμα αναγκαίο μόνο στο πλαίσιο της παιδικής ψυχολογικής διέγερσης.
Αργά και απολαυστικά ο αναγνώστης συνειδητοποιεί πως η νεράιδα των δοντιών πραγματική ή όχι, αποτελεί μια μεταφορά για ορισμένες πτυχές της ύπαρξης ενός παιδιού.
Επιφανειακά, έχουμε μια απλή ιστορία, για ένα αγοράκι που άθελα του μαστίζεται απο κάποιον παιδικό δαίμονα.
Σκάβοντας βαθύτερα όμως φαίνονται οι σπόροι του ψυχοδράματος της πραγματικότητας.
Η ανάπτυξη των σπόρων αυτών με το κατάλληλο λίπασμα απο εμμονές και φοβίες αποκαλύπτουν πως όλοι έχουμε αυτές τις δαιμονικές μάστιγες στη ζωή μας. Η αντιμετώπιση τους είναι μία διαδικασία ωρίμανσης.
Η νεράιδα των δοντιών δουλεμένη σε μια φόρμουλα συναρπαστικής φαντασίας, δυνατής μαγείας, ανατριχιαστικής φρεσκάδας και αστρικής σεξουαλικότητας καταφέρνει με μεγάλη επιτυχία να αποδώσει μια φανταστική απεικόνιση των βλαβών και διαταραχών που ταλανίζουν την ανθρώπινη ψυχολογική ενέργεια.
Καλή ανάγνωση.
Πολλούς ασπασμούς.
August 8, 2022
The feeling I came away from The Tooth Fairy with was neither of happiness nor of satisfaction and, although it was a fairly dark story, neither was the feeling anything like despair. Somewhere between those points is some combination of recognition, rememberance, anticipation, and a sense of loss that make up the un-nameable feeling with which I connected with this book. This is a fairy tale and a coming of age story that combine beautifully to remind us of how much we lose and how much we gain as we grow up and to cause us to wonder if the losses and gains ever truly balance out.
October 7, 2015
Graham Joyce surely is one of the most underrated authors...is this possibly because he is so hard to market? Is he horror? Is he fantasy? Or possibly `social surrealism'...?
What ever he is his stories are strange, magical and original and he fast becoming one of my favourite authors.
He likes to instill in the reader a feeling of lingering uneasiness …. ‘You come away from the book feeling your perception of the world has been just been knock slightly askew away from what you previously thought to be normal’ Graham refuses to come down on one side or the other of the ideas he presents in his novel, it is all about ambiguity and uncertainty
Sam, Clive and Terry are ordinary (ish) boys growing up in the 1960s until one day when Clive punches Sam in the mouth and knocks out a tooth. …Sam puts the tooth under his pillow at bedtime…as you do
He wakes up during the night and first lays eyes on the Tooth Fairy “oddly dressed and smelling of horse’s sweat and chamomile”.
Tinkerbelle this Fairy is not …it is an angry, bitter and viscous looking creature from nightmare.
Thus begins a strange, disturbing sometimes touching relationship with the Tooth Fairy as it dogs Sam’s footsteps through childhood and into adolescence.
The Tooth Fairy, whose appearance, mood and sex change constantly makes for a rather unpredictable, mercurial companion - sometimes protecting Sam other times tormenting him, bullying and threatening him and his family. The Fairy is a character in its own right with its own moods and emotions, jealously, lust, spite, anger and touching moments of tenderness. The author skilfully coveys the wild, unpredictable primeval nature of the Tooth Fairy.
Without the supernatural element, the adolescent adventures of Sam and his friends would have made a brilliantly funny ‘rites of passage’ novel…all petty vandalism (though making pipe bombs in your Dad’s shed is hardly petty), growing pains and awakening sexuality.
The novel is brilliantly structured, well characterised and entirely compelling and the elegant writing at times is almost prose with a whimsical and nostalgic tone.
This novel shows that horror fiction doesn’t not have to be high octane ‘gore splatter’ serial killing zombies but that it can be beautiful, compulsive, hilarious, tragic, magical and very, very funny …oh very, very rude!
What ever he is his stories are strange, magical and original and he fast becoming one of my favourite authors.
He likes to instill in the reader a feeling of lingering uneasiness …. ‘You come away from the book feeling your perception of the world has been just been knock slightly askew away from what you previously thought to be normal’ Graham refuses to come down on one side or the other of the ideas he presents in his novel, it is all about ambiguity and uncertainty
Sam, Clive and Terry are ordinary (ish) boys growing up in the 1960s until one day when Clive punches Sam in the mouth and knocks out a tooth. …Sam puts the tooth under his pillow at bedtime…as you do
He wakes up during the night and first lays eyes on the Tooth Fairy “oddly dressed and smelling of horse’s sweat and chamomile”.
Tinkerbelle this Fairy is not …it is an angry, bitter and viscous looking creature from nightmare.
Thus begins a strange, disturbing sometimes touching relationship with the Tooth Fairy as it dogs Sam’s footsteps through childhood and into adolescence.
The Tooth Fairy, whose appearance, mood and sex change constantly makes for a rather unpredictable, mercurial companion - sometimes protecting Sam other times tormenting him, bullying and threatening him and his family. The Fairy is a character in its own right with its own moods and emotions, jealously, lust, spite, anger and touching moments of tenderness. The author skilfully coveys the wild, unpredictable primeval nature of the Tooth Fairy.
Without the supernatural element, the adolescent adventures of Sam and his friends would have made a brilliantly funny ‘rites of passage’ novel…all petty vandalism (though making pipe bombs in your Dad’s shed is hardly petty), growing pains and awakening sexuality.
The novel is brilliantly structured, well characterised and entirely compelling and the elegant writing at times is almost prose with a whimsical and nostalgic tone.
This novel shows that horror fiction doesn’t not have to be high octane ‘gore splatter’ serial killing zombies but that it can be beautiful, compulsive, hilarious, tragic, magical and very, very funny …oh very, very rude!
October 13, 2015
"Through a window a broken fingernail of moon was visible. It barely illumined the intruder's face, but what Sam could see he didn't like. Two dark eyes, shiny like the green-black carapace of a beetle, flashed at him. The eyes were set deep, each in a squint counterpoised to the other, lurking under a matted shock of black hair. Tangled elf-locks framed high cheek bones and a swarthy complexion... A row of teeth glimmered in the faint moonbeams, a mouthful of blue light. The teeth were perfect, but, unless he was mistaken, they were sharpened to fine dagger points."
Such a hideous, chilling and unconventional description of a favorite childhood fantasy figure seemed like a great start to this very bizarre novel. In the mood for a wicked scare during one of my favorite months of the year, I thought this book was just the ticket. Unfortunately, rather than peeking around corners and jumping at the slightest creak of the house or howl of the wind, I instead felt slightly revolted. Seven-year-old Sam looses a tooth and is surprised by a visit from this androgynous being. Sam will learn that this will be a recurring event throughout his childhood and adolescent years. This noxious and vulgar creature exhibits erratic moods, uses coarse language, changes from male to female and back again, and exploits the angst of a developing young man. All this seems to revolve around Sam's personal experiences, sexual awakenings and frustrations. As the tooth fairy points out to Sam, "This is not a one-way thing, you know. You may think I'm your nightmare, but you in turn are my nightmare. It's your moods that pull me here." The question becomes – is this being real or a manifestation of Sam's imagination during these critical coming-of-age years? An interesting concept, but when put into words and descriptions, it went way over the top for me. It became repetitive and unnerving rather than satisfyingly frightful.
Despite my criticisms, I did find some really good points to this novel. For one, the characters are fairly well developed and memorable. Clive, Terry, Alice and Linda all suffer, along with Sam, from typical teenage concerns, get mixed up in various scrapes – some less innocent than others, and band together for support and camaraderie. Skelton, Sam's psychiatrist throughout this ordeal, is an interesting character with his own "demon", an addiction to alcohol. He may actually be the one to grasp some understanding of Sam's turmoil and the real reason for the presence of the tooth fairy in Sam's life. Also, when not foul, the writing was actually quite exceptional. I think Graham Joyce has a gift of vivid prose that has the potential to be quite gratifying: "The earth under the snow was moist and brown, rich and curranty like a cake beneath a layer of marzipan. Breaking through the outlying trees, he found the woods made anew. Nothing stirred, and all noise from beyond the woods was baffled by the density of snow on the trees. The woods were stunned. It was a moment in closed time, a dream of ecstatic paralysis, a phase of Creation in which the trees waited impatiently to take on color, sound, texture." This passage and others like it are the reason why I will most definitely give this author another try. 2.5 stars go to The Tooth Fairy, simply because overall I found it unsettling and somewhat unresolved in my mind by the end of the book.
Such a hideous, chilling and unconventional description of a favorite childhood fantasy figure seemed like a great start to this very bizarre novel. In the mood for a wicked scare during one of my favorite months of the year, I thought this book was just the ticket. Unfortunately, rather than peeking around corners and jumping at the slightest creak of the house or howl of the wind, I instead felt slightly revolted. Seven-year-old Sam looses a tooth and is surprised by a visit from this androgynous being. Sam will learn that this will be a recurring event throughout his childhood and adolescent years. This noxious and vulgar creature exhibits erratic moods, uses coarse language, changes from male to female and back again, and exploits the angst of a developing young man. All this seems to revolve around Sam's personal experiences, sexual awakenings and frustrations. As the tooth fairy points out to Sam, "This is not a one-way thing, you know. You may think I'm your nightmare, but you in turn are my nightmare. It's your moods that pull me here." The question becomes – is this being real or a manifestation of Sam's imagination during these critical coming-of-age years? An interesting concept, but when put into words and descriptions, it went way over the top for me. It became repetitive and unnerving rather than satisfyingly frightful.
Despite my criticisms, I did find some really good points to this novel. For one, the characters are fairly well developed and memorable. Clive, Terry, Alice and Linda all suffer, along with Sam, from typical teenage concerns, get mixed up in various scrapes – some less innocent than others, and band together for support and camaraderie. Skelton, Sam's psychiatrist throughout this ordeal, is an interesting character with his own "demon", an addiction to alcohol. He may actually be the one to grasp some understanding of Sam's turmoil and the real reason for the presence of the tooth fairy in Sam's life. Also, when not foul, the writing was actually quite exceptional. I think Graham Joyce has a gift of vivid prose that has the potential to be quite gratifying: "The earth under the snow was moist and brown, rich and curranty like a cake beneath a layer of marzipan. Breaking through the outlying trees, he found the woods made anew. Nothing stirred, and all noise from beyond the woods was baffled by the density of snow on the trees. The woods were stunned. It was a moment in closed time, a dream of ecstatic paralysis, a phase of Creation in which the trees waited impatiently to take on color, sound, texture." This passage and others like it are the reason why I will most definitely give this author another try. 2.5 stars go to The Tooth Fairy, simply because overall I found it unsettling and somewhat unresolved in my mind by the end of the book.
February 24, 2018
Η παιδική ηλικία και η ενηλικίωση μιας παρέας μέσα από τα μάτια του Graham Joyce...
Η Νεράιδα είναι πάντα εκεί! Στην πρώτη απώλεια, στο πρώτο ψέμα, στην πρώτη φαντασίωση και στο πρώτο φιλί!!
Η μαγεία, ο τρόμος και το χιούμορ κάνουν την "Νεράιδα των Δοντιών" ένα άκρως ενδιαφέρον ανάγνωσμα!!
Ολόκληρη η κριτική στην Λέσχη του Βιβλίου
http://www.λέσχη.gr/forum/showthread....
Η Νεράιδα είναι πάντα εκεί! Στην πρώτη απώλεια, στο πρώτο ψέμα, στην πρώτη φαντασίωση και στο πρώτο φιλί!!
Η μαγεία, ο τρόμος και το χιούμορ κάνουν την "Νεράιδα των Δοντιών" ένα άκρως ενδιαφέρον ανάγνωσμα!!
Ολόκληρη η κριτική στην Λέσχη του Βιβλίου
http://www.λέσχη.gr/forum/showthread....
October 14, 2016
This one is hard to rate. Hard because it is a good book but not what I expected. This is listed under most shelves as 'Horror' and is the reason I started it this month. I can see where some might consider it Horror, but in my opinion, this was a coming of age/ dark fantasy tale.
Even though I was a little disappointed because I was shooting for pure horror for my October reading spree, I was still caught up in the story and was entertained to the end. This is my third Graham Joyce novel and I can't figure out why this guy isn't more popular. I would put the first book of his I read, Limits of Enchantment among my top 20 favorites.
This is not your stereotypical Tinkerbell fairy. This one is more like a Black Sabbath, fairies wear boots kind of a gal. Is she real or just a bad dream? Whatever she is, once Sam places his tooth under his pillow, he acquires a permanent companion that not even the imaginary silver bullet provided by his shrink can get rid of.
I'm not sure I would recommend this as a Halloween piece, but it is still a great story that you might want to delve into at another time. I will certainly be reading more Graham Joyce.
December 23, 2019
"Η ΝΕΡΑΪΔΑ ΤΩΝ ΔΟΝΤΙΩΝ"
ΕΝΑ ΣΚΟΤΕΙΝΟ ΚΑΙ ΑΝΑΤΡΕΠΤΙΚΟ ΠΑΡΑΜΥΘΙ ΜΕ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΙΣΤΙΚΟ Κ ΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΚΟ ΥΠΟΒΑΘΡΟ. Η ΝΕΡΑΪΔΑ ΤΩΝ ΔΟΝΤΙΩΝ ΚΑΤΑΚΛΥΖΕΙ ΤΑ ΟΝΕΙΡΑ ΤΩΝ ΠΑΙΔΙΩΝ Κ ΤΑ ΜΕΤΑΤΡΕΠΕΙ ΣΕ ΜΑΡΙΟΝΕΤΕΣ ΟΔΗΓΩΝΤΑΣ ΣΕ ΦΡΙΚΙΑΣΤΙΚΕΣ ΠΡΑΞΕΙΣ.
ΜΗΠΩΣ ΟΜΩΣ ΤΕΛΙΚΑ ΔΕΝ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΕΤΣΙ; ΜΗΠΩΣ Η ΝΕΡΑΪΔΑ ΩΘΕΙ ΤΑ ΑΤΟΜΑ ΤΗΣ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑΣ ΝΑ ΒΓΑΛΟΥΝ ΤΟΝ ΠΡΑΓΜΑΤΙΚΟ ΤΟΥΣ ΕΑΥΤΟ; ΕΙΝΑΙ ΤΕΛΙΚΑ ΜΟΧΘΗΡΗ Ή ΟΧΙ;; ΑΥΤΟ ΑΠΟΚΑΛΥΠΤΕΤΑΙ ΣΤΑΔΙΑΚΑ ΜΕΧΡΙ ΝΑ Ο ΑΝΑΓΝΩΣΤΗΣ ΝΑ ΦΤΑΣΕΙ ΣΤΟ ΤΕΛΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑΣ.
ΑΡΚΕΤΑ ΜΥΣΤΗΡΙΑΚΗ Η ΓΡΑΦΗ, ΜΕ ΑΝΑΤΡΙΧΙΑΣΤΙΚΕΣ ΠΕΡΙΓΡΑΦΕΣ ΤΩΝ ΠΑΙΔΙΚΩΝ ΦΟΒΩΝ ΠΟΥ ΕΧΟΥΜΕ ΒΙΩΣΕΙ ΟΛΟΙ ΩΣ ΠΑΙΔΙΑ.
ΕΝΑ ΣΚΟΤΕΙΝΟ ΚΑΙ ΑΝΑΤΡΕΠΤΙΚΟ ΠΑΡΑΜΥΘΙ ΜΕ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΙΣΤΙΚΟ Κ ΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΚΟ ΥΠΟΒΑΘΡΟ. Η ΝΕΡΑΪΔΑ ΤΩΝ ΔΟΝΤΙΩΝ ΚΑΤΑΚΛΥΖΕΙ ΤΑ ΟΝΕΙΡΑ ΤΩΝ ΠΑΙΔΙΩΝ Κ ΤΑ ΜΕΤΑΤΡΕΠΕΙ ΣΕ ΜΑΡΙΟΝΕΤΕΣ ΟΔΗΓΩΝΤΑΣ ΣΕ ΦΡΙΚΙΑΣΤΙΚΕΣ ΠΡΑΞΕΙΣ.
ΜΗΠΩΣ ΟΜΩΣ ΤΕΛΙΚΑ ΔΕΝ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΕΤΣΙ; ΜΗΠΩΣ Η ΝΕΡΑΪΔΑ ΩΘΕΙ ΤΑ ΑΤΟΜΑ ΤΗΣ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑΣ ΝΑ ΒΓΑΛΟΥΝ ΤΟΝ ΠΡΑΓΜΑΤΙΚΟ ΤΟΥΣ ΕΑΥΤΟ; ΕΙΝΑΙ ΤΕΛΙΚΑ ΜΟΧΘΗΡΗ Ή ΟΧΙ;; ΑΥΤΟ ΑΠΟΚΑΛΥΠΤΕΤΑΙ ΣΤΑΔΙΑΚΑ ΜΕΧΡΙ ΝΑ Ο ΑΝΑΓΝΩΣΤΗΣ ΝΑ ΦΤΑΣΕΙ ΣΤΟ ΤΕΛΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑΣ.
ΑΡΚΕΤΑ ΜΥΣΤΗΡΙΑΚΗ Η ΓΡΑΦΗ, ΜΕ ΑΝΑΤΡΙΧΙΑΣΤΙΚΕΣ ΠΕΡΙΓΡΑΦΕΣ ΤΩΝ ΠΑΙΔΙΚΩΝ ΦΟΒΩΝ ΠΟΥ ΕΧΟΥΜΕ ΒΙΩΣΕΙ ΟΛΟΙ ΩΣ ΠΑΙΔΙΑ.
July 29, 2013
Originally reviewed Jul. 2010
Updated July 2013
Some will like this book. I'm not one of them. While it has what I suppose strives to be a "touching ending" it can't change the rest of the book. This is one of a series of books (by that I don't mean a "series by the same author" I mean a series of books by various authors that treads similar ground) that have followed the same track over the last several years. It's not a new idea, it's the idea of taking an "established" literary form and "flipping it". I've seen some "switched out" fairy tales that work very well and make good reads, I've also seen books that simply take old stories or folklore and instead of the "established lesson" usually taught in them we learn the way to live is to be a selfish, pushy, wisea**.
This takes the tooth fairy "myth" (a story that could be used to scare children anyway...a being the sneaks in and out of your bedroom without your knowledge) and tells a fairly sinister and definitely adult tale. I won't try to lay out the story or give the ending revelation, no spoilers, but there are places here where the book veers very close to pedophilia, gives us several scenes of "boys/young men" discovering the joys of "self pleasuring", dances around what I suppose we'd call "childhood violence"... Don't be fooled by the title and let a "juvenile reader" near this one.
Personally I find that the glow is off the idea of taking childhood stories and making them into R to NC17 rated fiction. Worse I didn't find the story itself involving enough to make these scenes a part of the telling. From Terry Pratchett and his tooth fairy with pliers to a short story I read some years ago about a tooth fairy who carved teeth out of mouths to use in magic, this is not truly an original idea and not a standout in story telling.
I know many of you enjoyed it greatly, and for you I'm happy. But as I've said about other books, not for me. I brought the rating up to 2 stars as I've read far worse and don't want to rate the book down with the truly terrible reads I've run across...I wish we had a slightly "wider" rating system, maybe half stars. So, *1.5 stars* here. Just be aware what it is when you pick it up and if you think it will be your cup of tea, then fine. If you aren't interested in what is essentially a "lets rip the innocence away from another childhood myth novel"... well you're now forewarned.
Updated July 2013
Some will like this book. I'm not one of them. While it has what I suppose strives to be a "touching ending" it can't change the rest of the book. This is one of a series of books (by that I don't mean a "series by the same author" I mean a series of books by various authors that treads similar ground) that have followed the same track over the last several years. It's not a new idea, it's the idea of taking an "established" literary form and "flipping it". I've seen some "switched out" fairy tales that work very well and make good reads, I've also seen books that simply take old stories or folklore and instead of the "established lesson" usually taught in them we learn the way to live is to be a selfish, pushy, wisea**.
This takes the tooth fairy "myth" (a story that could be used to scare children anyway...a being the sneaks in and out of your bedroom without your knowledge) and tells a fairly sinister and definitely adult tale. I won't try to lay out the story or give the ending revelation, no spoilers, but there are places here where the book veers very close to pedophilia, gives us several scenes of "boys/young men" discovering the joys of "self pleasuring", dances around what I suppose we'd call "childhood violence"... Don't be fooled by the title and let a "juvenile reader" near this one.
Personally I find that the glow is off the idea of taking childhood stories and making them into R to NC17 rated fiction. Worse I didn't find the story itself involving enough to make these scenes a part of the telling. From Terry Pratchett and his tooth fairy with pliers to a short story I read some years ago about a tooth fairy who carved teeth out of mouths to use in magic, this is not truly an original idea and not a standout in story telling.
I know many of you enjoyed it greatly, and for you I'm happy. But as I've said about other books, not for me. I brought the rating up to 2 stars as I've read far worse and don't want to rate the book down with the truly terrible reads I've run across...I wish we had a slightly "wider" rating system, maybe half stars. So, *1.5 stars* here. Just be aware what it is when you pick it up and if you think it will be your cup of tea, then fine. If you aren't interested in what is essentially a "lets rip the innocence away from another childhood myth novel"... well you're now forewarned.
May 8, 2013
I met Graham Joyce at Fantasycon last year and asked him which of his books would be the best one to start with. He recommended The Tooth Fairy, so I went ahead and picked it up. I went in blind, as it were - I didn't even read the blurb on the back of the book, and consequently had no idea what to expect.
It was a very compelling read. There's a sense in which the storytelling is deliberately unstructured, depriving you of the usual clues to the direction the narrative is taking. This has the effect of sharpening the horror, making you feel that everything is at stake, all the time.
The tooth fairy itself is a unique creation - so much so that although the book stands in a well established tradition of "coming of age with supernatural stuff going on" stories, it really doesn't feel like anything I've read before. And the denouement, when it came, left me both breathless and profoundly moved. I'd imagined a lot of ways in which the narrator and his nemesis might finally settle what was between them, but I never came close to guessing what would happen.
I confess I have a bias towards what I think of as generous horror - horror that allows you to empathise with the characters and makes you care what happens to them. The opposite, in fact, of sacrificial horror - where the characters exist primarily to be put through a wood chipper. The Tooth Fairy satisfies on an emotional level, and is still very, very scary.
I'm going to read some more Graham Joyce, and soon.
It was a very compelling read. There's a sense in which the storytelling is deliberately unstructured, depriving you of the usual clues to the direction the narrative is taking. This has the effect of sharpening the horror, making you feel that everything is at stake, all the time.
The tooth fairy itself is a unique creation - so much so that although the book stands in a well established tradition of "coming of age with supernatural stuff going on" stories, it really doesn't feel like anything I've read before. And the denouement, when it came, left me both breathless and profoundly moved. I'd imagined a lot of ways in which the narrator and his nemesis might finally settle what was between them, but I never came close to guessing what would happen.
I confess I have a bias towards what I think of as generous horror - horror that allows you to empathise with the characters and makes you care what happens to them. The opposite, in fact, of sacrificial horror - where the characters exist primarily to be put through a wood chipper. The Tooth Fairy satisfies on an emotional level, and is still very, very scary.
I'm going to read some more Graham Joyce, and soon.
March 20, 2016
This is such a beautiful book. I know this feeling I felt it when I read the Lovely bones. It's not quite the same feeling though. I feel I've lost some friends almost. "The heads looked at the gang." there are chapters in this book where the author takes you on a journey. Of childhood, adolescence and dark childhood terror's and dreams All this seems to revolve around "Sam's" the main character in the story personal experiences, sexual awakenings and frustrations. And his best friends too. are main play And I haven't even begun about the actual main character the tooth fairy.
I'm honestly left with so many feelings towards this book there were times I bit my lip. The times I laughed out loud.
I'm not giving anything away with this book. You have to read it yourself! And I highly recommend you do as it's a truly beautiful book.
I'm honestly left with so many feelings towards this book there were times I bit my lip. The times I laughed out loud.
I'm not giving anything away with this book. You have to read it yourself! And I highly recommend you do as it's a truly beautiful book.
July 2, 2018
Joyce walks a prose tightrope by perfectly balancing this story so that the uncertainty and tension pull taut throughout the narrative. It's not so much scary as it is disturbing and unnerving. The journey from child to adult is one fraught with loss, fear, and strange, uncontrollable urges. By far, my favorite character was the psychiatrist whose drinking only slightly numbs the loss of faith he has in his own work.
December 18, 2008
What I remembered, rather than learned, was how really terrifying childhood and adolescence can be! The character of the "Tooth Fairy", at once both horrifying and mesmerizing, wraps up all those childhood (pre-puberty) and teenage (puberty) fears into one repelling yet intriguing character. The story centers on 3 boys--Sam, Clive, and Terry--and begins with a large pike from the local pond biting off two of Terry's toes. It's a rollercoaster ride after that, and a dark one at that--imagine riding a rollercoaster alone in the dark by yourself, and that's how my stomach felt by the end. I can't imagine what fills Joyce's brain (spiders and centipedes, to say the least)--but he really wants to save these children from dark fears and knows he can't. So there's a desperation throughout the book--a long, dark road from Sam losing his first tooth to the boys/young men headed off to college. Linda and Alice serve mainly as foils, especially for the boys' sexual awakening, but Joyce managed to make me care for them as well. As usual, Joyce rips the comfortable veil off of reality, and what lies behind it, in this book, are the sharp, filed teeth of the Tooth Fairy.
December 6, 2017
The blurbs on the back of the book state : "Brilliant and unclassifiable", "Sharp, freshly imagined" "Complex and funny". All do a very poor job telling us about this book. They make it sound mundane. There is nothing mundane about this. I love the way Graham Joyce blurs the lines between "reality" and "fantasy". I find myself asking what do I think is real...what IS fantasy? There were points in this book that were laugh out loud moments, it could not be helped. There were moments of quiet horror..."Did I just read what I read?". But most of all for me, this is a story about friendship. True friendship with all its trials and tribulations. Gorgeous.
February 8, 2025
Libro sobre el tránsito de la infancia a la adolescencia y sus ritos de paso, escrito a la manera de Joyce. La presencia de un ser entre la fantasía y la deformación de la realidad, el duende de los dientes, trastoca la existencia de sus personajes mientras ejerce de catalizador de las cuestiones que ponen en juego a través de su argumento, cruel, inmisericorde. La creación de la propia identidad, el descubrimiento de la sexualidad, los flirteos con las drogas, el alejamiento del rebaño... se suceden en un crescendo gracias a una componente simbólica un tanto trivial y, aun así, tremendamente sugerente que llega desde toda una serie de elementos más allá de ese duende (el estanque, el lucio, el bosque tenebroso, el grupo de amigos, el taller del científico loco...). Su único punto flaco se vislumbra cerca del desenlace cuando el protagonista manifiesta ese carácter simbólico, explicando lo que era más que evidente. Quiebra la magia de una historia que, afortunadamente, la recupera cuando en la resolución se hermana del todo con Un mago de Terramar, como quien no quiere la cosa.
Joyce era un grande y esta novela de las buenas buenas.
Joyce era un grande y esta novela de las buenas buenas.
April 3, 2015
Meandering and sometimes meanspirited, Joyce's novel is that rare beast of a coming-of-age story (I'd call it a bildungsroman but I'm not sure the main characters actually learned anything) that defies all conventionality, instead heads in a million disparate directions at once, and comes up bloody roses. The fantastic lives alongside the real, but in shadows, just out of view to everyone else besides one character, and the reader. The characters are children, but the situations presented are decidedly adult, accurately casting an adolescent's fixation on sex as a central tenet of the story. I can't bring myself to describe the plot, but it's the gorgeous prose itself and the tone of the tale that works so many of the wonders here: wistful and wondrous in turns, there's a sense of deep melancholy mixed with palable paranoia, excitement and lust running headlong into fleeting bursts of horror. Tragedy underscores much of the action here, and we're left wondering why, though it's clear it's just the way of the world; perhaps the fantastical elements are simply a coping mechanism? Hard to say, and no matter. This is one of the best books I've read in ages, and exactly what I needed, when I needed it.
January 12, 2010
Graham Joyce blows me away. He writes sensually? That sounds a bit rude. He IS a bit rude. Earthy. You can almost feel and taste and smell, especially the leaf mold, and the musty smell of an old shed years after the suicide of its occupant.
Here he writes about the evolution of a group of young boys, through to their departure for university. He manages to get right inside their (rather strange) world. The protagonist is (literally?) a character in the Tooth Fairy's nightmare.
And when you think about the primeval nature and occasional near death experiences and close shaves of a little boy's life, know that Graham Joyce captures it.
He may really be writing for a particular age group, but if you are still, or ever have, breathed, I suspect that you'd find this book easy to consume.
Here he writes about the evolution of a group of young boys, through to their departure for university. He manages to get right inside their (rather strange) world. The protagonist is (literally?) a character in the Tooth Fairy's nightmare.
And when you think about the primeval nature and occasional near death experiences and close shaves of a little boy's life, know that Graham Joyce captures it.
He may really be writing for a particular age group, but if you are still, or ever have, breathed, I suspect that you'd find this book easy to consume.
April 2, 2019
Ήξερα από πριν ότι αυτό το βιβλίο δεν είναι τρόμου ωστόσο μου άφησε ανάμεικτα συναισθήματα. Θα έλεγα ότι ήταν δύο ταχυτήτων: Πότε γρήγορο και ενδιαφέρον και πότε αργό και αδιάφορο. Τις περισσότερες φορές μου φάνηκε μάλλον αδιάφορο καθώς είχε πολλές άχρηστες πληροφορίες και περιγραφές. Ωστόσο μου άρεσε πολύ η γραφή του (καθώς ήταν και η πρώτη μου επαφή με τον συγγραφέα) και μερικά πολύ δυνατά σημεία. Το τέλος επίσης πολύ χλιαρό. Σε γενικές γραμμές πολύ μέτριο αλλά θα δοκιμάσω να διαβάσω κι άλλο δικό του.
January 3, 2016
Το Stand by me με υπερφυσικό, στην Αγγλία του 70, του 80 κάτι τέτοιο. Καλό, δε λέω, αλλά το βαρέθηκα θανατερά.
February 3, 2014
I have read several of Graham Joyce books and have thoroughly enjoyed them (Dark Sister and The Limits of Enchantment) and I have wanted to read this one for a while. The Tooth Fairy is a book which is recommended by Stephen King and it was chosen as a group read in the Recommended by Stephen King Goodreads Group.
So we've all heard of the tooth fairy and as a kid I remember putting my tooth under my pillow before bed and waking up the next morning with a quid (from my parents). This it exactly what Sam, a 7 year old boy, does when his tooth is knocked out when his friend punches him in the mouth. He doesn't tell his parents he's lost a tooth to see whether he still gets a pound and therefore proving the tooth fairy is real. Then while asleep, he is woken by somebody in his room and he sees none other than the tooth fairy himself. Or should I say herself. Or maybe itself as it seems to morph between male and female throughout the book which makes things really confusing in the story at times! And after the tooth fairy shows up loads of bad things happen and it all goes down hill for Sam and his friends.
I didn't find the book scary but there is a definite feeling of unease which started early on in the book and built from there on in. The Tooth Fairy character itself was quite disturbing in its appearance and behaviours and extremely perverse. When it first shows up, the kid is about 7 - if it were me I think I'd have s**t my pants seeing it!
I'm feeling pretty satisfied that I have all my adult teeth and not expecting (**touches wood**) to loose any teeth right now so I don't get a visit from the tooth fairy! S/He gives me the creeps.
This is a very dark and disturbing tale. After reading the first third of the book, I had to stop for a while and read something lighter for a bit. And generally I don't have a problem with reading books which are on the darker side of life! If it hadn't been a group read, I think I may have abandoned the book completely but I persevered. I'm pleased I did as I did like the book; Joyce did a very good job at creating an atmosphere and building likeable characters, even if they were a bit messed up and did crazy things.
It's the first coming-of-age book that I have read from a male perspective. And as a female, I found this both eye opening, interesting and shocking!
So we've all heard of the tooth fairy and as a kid I remember putting my tooth under my pillow before bed and waking up the next morning with a quid (from my parents). This it exactly what Sam, a 7 year old boy, does when his tooth is knocked out when his friend punches him in the mouth. He doesn't tell his parents he's lost a tooth to see whether he still gets a pound and therefore proving the tooth fairy is real. Then while asleep, he is woken by somebody in his room and he sees none other than the tooth fairy himself. Or should I say herself. Or maybe itself as it seems to morph between male and female throughout the book which makes things really confusing in the story at times! And after the tooth fairy shows up loads of bad things happen and it all goes down hill for Sam and his friends.
I didn't find the book scary but there is a definite feeling of unease which started early on in the book and built from there on in. The Tooth Fairy character itself was quite disturbing in its appearance and behaviours and extremely perverse. When it first shows up, the kid is about 7 - if it were me I think I'd have s**t my pants seeing it!
I'm feeling pretty satisfied that I have all my adult teeth and not expecting (**touches wood**) to loose any teeth right now so I don't get a visit from the tooth fairy! S/He gives me the creeps.
This is a very dark and disturbing tale. After reading the first third of the book, I had to stop for a while and read something lighter for a bit. And generally I don't have a problem with reading books which are on the darker side of life! If it hadn't been a group read, I think I may have abandoned the book completely but I persevered. I'm pleased I did as I did like the book; Joyce did a very good job at creating an atmosphere and building likeable characters, even if they were a bit messed up and did crazy things.
It's the first coming-of-age book that I have read from a male perspective. And as a female, I found this both eye opening, interesting and shocking!
December 21, 2016
I loved this odd book and found it very difficult to put down. It's a character driven coming of age story about three young boys growing up in apparent normalcy. But underneath the veneer of normalcy simmers unexpected moments of darkness and danger. As the boys deal with life's many pitfalls -- growing up too smart, too dumb, too mediocre -- lurking in the shadows is a vicious tooth fairy which only one of them (Sam) can see. This tooth fairy is not the sweet version of childhood dreams but a nightmarish razor toothed, potty mouthed, mischievous apparition and it's not at all pleased that Sam can see it.
As Sam grows, the tooth fairy continues to show up unexpectedly and begins to change its form, becoming a chilling sexual thing that teases and taunts and awakens odd feelings in Sam. Despite his fear of the tooth fairy the two have a weird sort of connection.
This was most definitely a book that was anything but the "same-old, same-old" and I never could figure out quite where it was going next which is what I enjoyed so much about the book. The blend of the ordinary and the "weird" was seamless. Sam was a well developed, realistic character and watching him mature and grow was fascinating and I'm still pondering over the question "was it all in his imagination?" I'd like to think it wasn't.
Overall a very creepy, touching, and perfectly bizarre book.
As Sam grows, the tooth fairy continues to show up unexpectedly and begins to change its form, becoming a chilling sexual thing that teases and taunts and awakens odd feelings in Sam. Despite his fear of the tooth fairy the two have a weird sort of connection.
This was most definitely a book that was anything but the "same-old, same-old" and I never could figure out quite where it was going next which is what I enjoyed so much about the book. The blend of the ordinary and the "weird" was seamless. Sam was a well developed, realistic character and watching him mature and grow was fascinating and I'm still pondering over the question "was it all in his imagination?" I'd like to think it wasn't.
Overall a very creepy, touching, and perfectly bizarre book.
September 6, 2011
IMHO, Graham Joyce doesn't get enough respect in the US, despite the fact that he's won both the British Fantasy Award and the World Fantasy Award. Part of the problem may be that his work is hard to categorize, apart from putting it in the catch-all "speculative fiction" bin. The Tooth Fairy, for example, is psychological horror, maybe. Or maybe it's fantasy. It kind of depends on how you view what the main character is going through.
Well, it's puberty that Sam is going through. But he's accompanied by a weird little creature that calls itself the Tooth Fairy. It shows only when Sam is alone, and it talks to him about the emotional ups and downs he's going through. A large part of what it says is disturbing -- disturbing enough that eventually Sam's parents take him to see a psychologist. So is Sam really crazy, or just a little crazy? Or is he really being visited by a creature from the dark side?
I won't spoil it for you. But I will say that this book scared the pants off me, and made me a Graham Joyce fan.
Well, it's puberty that Sam is going through. But he's accompanied by a weird little creature that calls itself the Tooth Fairy. It shows only when Sam is alone, and it talks to him about the emotional ups and downs he's going through. A large part of what it says is disturbing -- disturbing enough that eventually Sam's parents take him to see a psychologist. So is Sam really crazy, or just a little crazy? Or is he really being visited by a creature from the dark side?
I won't spoil it for you. But I will say that this book scared the pants off me, and made me a Graham Joyce fan.
November 6, 2022
When seven-year-old Sam Southall loses a tooth, he’s visited by the Tooth Fairy, a demonic being (sometimes male, sometimes female) that apparently only he can see, but whose malignant influence spills over onto his family and friends. The Tooth Fairy hangs around as Sam grows up, teaching him to make mischief at school and influencing his actions. One day she insists Sam’s friend Terry sleeps over and that same night, Terry's father shoots his wife, his other children, and himself…
I am a huge Graham Joyce fan and I’d been holding this back (the book was published in 1996) but decided Halloween this year was the right time and I’m so glad I did. Filled with Joyce’s wonderous prose, mastery of character and dialogue and a brilliant evocation of a seventies childhood (the timespan is never properly specified), this was just glorious. The lives of Sam, Terry and Clive are imbued with a sense of love and melancholy and the introduction of Alice to the group works brilliantly - she’s just as vivid a character as them, even if her motives aren’t always clear. And while the boys navigate friendships, parents and the rigours of becoming teenagers, the Tooth Fairy is always there, an ever-present reminder that things don’t always go right, however much you try to make them. There are scenes of horror - Terry’s family, Tooley the scout, poor Linda in London - and they’re shocking but the book, ultimately, is about friendship and love and I found it by turns funny and sad and eminently readable. I cannot recommend this highly enough and I envy those who have yet to discover its sense of wonder.
I am a huge Graham Joyce fan and I’d been holding this back (the book was published in 1996) but decided Halloween this year was the right time and I’m so glad I did. Filled with Joyce’s wonderous prose, mastery of character and dialogue and a brilliant evocation of a seventies childhood (the timespan is never properly specified), this was just glorious. The lives of Sam, Terry and Clive are imbued with a sense of love and melancholy and the introduction of Alice to the group works brilliantly - she’s just as vivid a character as them, even if her motives aren’t always clear. And while the boys navigate friendships, parents and the rigours of becoming teenagers, the Tooth Fairy is always there, an ever-present reminder that things don’t always go right, however much you try to make them. There are scenes of horror - Terry’s family, Tooley the scout, poor Linda in London - and they’re shocking but the book, ultimately, is about friendship and love and I found it by turns funny and sad and eminently readable. I cannot recommend this highly enough and I envy those who have yet to discover its sense of wonder.
January 23, 2012
[9/10] A disturbing coming of age story set ib rural England around the 1960's. The Moodies is a band of friends reminding me of movie favorites like The Goonies, Stand by Me, The Outsiders or American Grafitty. What is particular to this story is the continuous balancing act between the quirky comedy of growing up pains and the horror elements that rear their head from the very first page, where a huge pike bites some toes from the foot of one of the boys. It goes darker from here, but I had many moments of fun following the three friends as they leave childhood behind and come to terms with a grown up world that may prove to be hostile and cruel.
I think Graham Joyce managed extremely well to maintain the ambiguity regarding the intrusion of the supernatural into the story. I was kept guessing until the final page on the nature of the malefic Tooth Fairy from the title : either a figment of the imagination of Sam's disturbed mind, or a visitor from the world of Faery.
Another plus of the story for me is the portrayal of adolescents becoming aware of their sexuality and struggling to express themselves in this new charged environment. The inclusion of girls (Alice, Linda)into the boys fraternity is quite amusingly throwing a spanner in the works.
The adults in the story are rarely the understanding and supporting parents we have become used to from american television series. They are fallible, as clueless as the children most of the time, and hardly the role models the boys are looking for. They rise to the occssion though when things get really tough.
One word of advice : this is quite explicit and revealing for a young adult novel. I would still recommend it to a younger reader who is prepared to have his eyes open both to sexuality and to consequences of drug and alcohol abuse, rebellion against authority or suicidal depression. Yes there is fun and camaraderie to be found in the pages here, but the village of Redmont is no idyllic countryside with white lambs and innocent angels cavorting through the meadows.
I think Graham Joyce managed extremely well to maintain the ambiguity regarding the intrusion of the supernatural into the story. I was kept guessing until the final page on the nature of the malefic Tooth Fairy from the title : either a figment of the imagination of Sam's disturbed mind, or a visitor from the world of Faery.
Another plus of the story for me is the portrayal of adolescents becoming aware of their sexuality and struggling to express themselves in this new charged environment. The inclusion of girls (Alice, Linda)into the boys fraternity is quite amusingly throwing a spanner in the works.
The adults in the story are rarely the understanding and supporting parents we have become used to from american television series. They are fallible, as clueless as the children most of the time, and hardly the role models the boys are looking for. They rise to the occssion though when things get really tough.
One word of advice : this is quite explicit and revealing for a young adult novel. I would still recommend it to a younger reader who is prepared to have his eyes open both to sexuality and to consequences of drug and alcohol abuse, rebellion against authority or suicidal depression. Yes there is fun and camaraderie to be found in the pages here, but the village of Redmont is no idyllic countryside with white lambs and innocent angels cavorting through the meadows.
September 10, 2014
The Tooth Fairy is a very good coming of age tale with sprinkles of horror (and maybe a wee fantasy, as well.) Sam has a Tooth Fairy - A (dream?) that is leaking over into the real world and causing havoc for the Redstone Moodies. As events unfold, Sam must find a way to disconnect from the Tooth Fairy and stop the intrusion into our world before it destroys all that he loves.
Not a fast moving tale, Graham does a very good job creating an unsettlingly dark atmosphere. While it never gets fully realized into out and out horror to the bones, I was still left with a deep feeling of tension and unease as the story progressed. Very well written with superbly drawn characters. 4+ Stars! Highly Recommended!
I have had this one on my tbr for a long time and finally got around to it. I actually finished it the evening that I found out Graham had succumbed to Lymphoma. He will be sorely missed. Great writers live on thru their work though and I look forward to reading some more from Graham.
Not a fast moving tale, Graham does a very good job creating an unsettlingly dark atmosphere. While it never gets fully realized into out and out horror to the bones, I was still left with a deep feeling of tension and unease as the story progressed. Very well written with superbly drawn characters. 4+ Stars! Highly Recommended!
I have had this one on my tbr for a long time and finally got around to it. I actually finished it the evening that I found out Graham had succumbed to Lymphoma. He will be sorely missed. Great writers live on thru their work though and I look forward to reading some more from Graham.
January 14, 2009
A brilliant evocation of coming-of-age in the sixties, juxtaposed with an hallucinatory sense of wonder--and terror.
Sam, seven at the beginning of the story, has the misfortune of actually catching the tooth fairy in the act of switching tooth for cash. He/she becomes obsessed with Sam, dogging him through his adolescence. Alternately terrifying and erotic, loving and malevolent, male and female, this creature becomes Sam's constant secret and the fantastical backbeat of his life.
In contrast to the inhuman creepiness of the tooth fairy, the story of Sam and his friends from childhood to late adolescence as they explore the hash of growing up and finding their way in the world is charming, bittersweet, and very human. It's a tough balancing act to pull off, but Joyce manages it beautifully. This is an amazing book and an amazing bundle of emotions, from tears to laughing out loud.
Sam, seven at the beginning of the story, has the misfortune of actually catching the tooth fairy in the act of switching tooth for cash. He/she becomes obsessed with Sam, dogging him through his adolescence. Alternately terrifying and erotic, loving and malevolent, male and female, this creature becomes Sam's constant secret and the fantastical backbeat of his life.
In contrast to the inhuman creepiness of the tooth fairy, the story of Sam and his friends from childhood to late adolescence as they explore the hash of growing up and finding their way in the world is charming, bittersweet, and very human. It's a tough balancing act to pull off, but Joyce manages it beautifully. This is an amazing book and an amazing bundle of emotions, from tears to laughing out loud.
August 10, 2007
It's hard to classify this book. I suppose you'd call it a fantasy but if that suggests magic etc., then that's altogether wrong. It's about a boy who is haunted by a nightmarish and sexually predatory tooth fairy. It's never entirely clear whether or not the tooth fairy is real or imagined. Though often disturbing, the book is also very funny and even poignant in its painfully detailed evocation of adolescence and there are some remarkably original flashes in the writing. Uncomfortable but compelling.
February 16, 2018
Στην πραγματικότητα, κάτι λιγότερο από 3 αστέρια (=μου αρέσει)...ίσως γιατί το έψαχνα χρόνια και το περίμενα διαφορετικό...ισως γιατί ο Τζόυς νομίζω στα άλλα του έδινε περισσότερη ένταση... ίσως γιατί περίμενα πιο ξεκάθαρα πράγματα και γεγονότα ή κάτι παραπάνω σε σχέση με αυτά, αλλά στο τέλος έμεινα να λέω "ε, και;"...
November 15, 2015
Loved this enigmatic book and the beautiful characters within.
October 9, 2015
For my enjoyment, probably a 2 star. It was just ok. For the writing though...probably a 3 star. It was vulgar, yes, but the writing was still good IMO. I don't think I'll easily forget, Terry, Sam, Clive, Alice, Linda....and even though a nasty character, the Tooth Fairy. I do think this book will stay with me.
I started thinking how much better this story could have been with these characters....had they not been so "mature" for their ages, used such foul language and in the case of the tooth fairy, been written so vulgar and vile. I did find them interesting. Even if more humor had been thrown in, it all could have come together for a more readable and enjoyable book. I really think there could have been a better story here. This little band of childhood friends and their exploits...add the fact that they went through so much. It could have been enhanced with the character of the tooth fairy if he/she had not been portrayed in such a loathsome way. It was just not fun to read in this form. G. Joyce is still a favorite author of mine and I plan to read his entire body of work.
I started thinking how much better this story could have been with these characters....had they not been so "mature" for their ages, used such foul language and in the case of the tooth fairy, been written so vulgar and vile. I did find them interesting. Even if more humor had been thrown in, it all could have come together for a more readable and enjoyable book. I really think there could have been a better story here. This little band of childhood friends and their exploits...add the fact that they went through so much. It could have been enhanced with the character of the tooth fairy if he/she had not been portrayed in such a loathsome way. It was just not fun to read in this form. G. Joyce is still a favorite author of mine and I plan to read his entire body of work.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 342 reviews