Thornhill

Well, I know what my favorite book of the year is.Thornhill is told across two timelines, detailing the lives of two lonely girls separated by 35 years. Mary, in 1982, narrates her time of misery and bullying in the Thornhill children's home through her unhappy diary entries, while Ella in 2017 exists as a wordless illustration, looking out at the abandoned Thornhill estate from her bedroom window. There she sees the apparition of a strange girl and is lured into an unfolding mystery in the absence of loving parents.The atmosphere in Thornhill is perfectly gloomy for reading on a dark, rainy November night. You can stare at the illustrations for ages just soaking in the darkness during Ella's story or imagine Mary, lost and alone, staring out her own bedroom window at the house that Ella will live in 35 years later. Though separated by time, both girls belong together in a world without caring adults. There's so much sadness and melancholy in Thornhill it will never make you feel good. But if you ever felt a pang of loneliness I am sure that there is much in this story that you will find familiar, however downbeat it may be.

I really enjoyed reading this story and found Mary's narration (through her diary entries) very compelling and heartbreaking. I loved the way the story was set up with two parallel storylines, one told in prose and the other in pictures. I loved the dark intensity of the book, the look and feel, the drawings, the beauty of it all, and the story grips you from the start and keeps you reading till the end.An atmospheric, gothic tale, we go through the struggle and fear that Mary is experiencing due to a girl's bullying. The way she deals with it all, goes into hiding, tries to find an ally but fails, was very disturbing and infuriating. There was no help or support from the caretakers, and she was completely alone. I loved when she finally broke out of her shell and found her strength into a sort of madness, but I was saddened that it took the complete destruction of everything she loves and holds dear to her to get to that point.Alternatively, Ella's world, which takes place in present time, was less appealing to me. The drawings and illustrations were beautiful, and I loved seeing her progress in slowly discovering Mary's tale and peeling back the layers, but I didn't think her storyline was as gripping, but more of an accompanying one to the main story.One point to take into consideration is that we are reading the whole story through Mary's eyes, as entries from her diary. So the narrator isn't only unreliable, but could be said to be somewhat unstable and emotional. It is worth thinking about that as we read the story, to try and keep an open mind and perhaps try to see things from someone else's perspective.

A creepy, powerfully affecting novel that tells the story of two girls living in different decades through diary entry and graphic novel genres.The hardback edition is beautifully produced.Definitely suitable for young adults but don’t give it to a primary age child unless you’ve read it all yourself first - there are some difficult themes that might upset and confuse some.

No more than a short story's worth....a coupld of pages at most, padded out with many black pages of illustrations not directly relevant to the story line...... never again from this writer...

Remarkable, brilliant work. Part graphic novel, part prose. Art and writing both outstanding. An effecting ghost story and far more. Not to be missed by children or adults. Full, in depth review at magicfictionsincepotter.blogspot.com

Thornhill is a very special book. It is not quite like anything I have read before. As Philip Pullman says on the back cover, it is a masterpiece. Pam Smy’s storytelling ability is incredible – this is a very powerful, dark and moving story and parts had me in tears. It's definitely not a book to rush through – the clever pacing makes you take your time to read it and the rich level of detail in the illustrations means you will find something new to look at every time you read the book. Bravo.

A truly great book filled with gorgeous illustrations. Dark and twisted and very macabre I felt a strong connection to Mary and her story. The ending held such a twist which finished the book nicely and ended it on such a twisted note. Brilliant book

A wonderful, innovative piece of gripping story telling using diary and illustration to tell the dual perspectives of two main characters. In itself, this book is a beautiful object, and its story a powerful piece of literature. Smy's illustrations are stunning.