A review by kamrynharned
Come Home Early, Child by Owen Dodson

dark reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

Reading this right after finishing Demon Copperfield was probably a disservice to this book. While I don’t think it ever would be a 5 star book for me, I think I would have appreciated it more if I hadn’t just read such an incredible coming-of-age novel. A few things that stood out to me: 
  • Coin is a very innocent, sweet character, but I never felt quite connected to him. Could be because it wasn’t written in first person, but I feel like I should have liked him more than I did. His character arc through the book just wasn’t dynamic or interesting. 
  • the family dynamic was quite odd - I wanted it to be believable but it just didn’t sit right with me. 
  • While I did think that the “villains” of the story were very well done, I wasn’t left with a sense of satisfaction when they met their downfall. Perhaps this is because although they didn’t win in the end, they left a mark on Coin that caused him permanent damage? 
  • There is very little redemption to the story, so it leaves you wondering what the point even was? I think a GOOD coming-of-age novel really has to nail the fine line between focusing on the small, mundane moment of a person’s life and also carrying a plot/themes/storyline that is captivating and purposeful. 
I did highlight a few especially beautiful lines, so I think that even though it was a fairly low-rated book for me, I’ll keep it on my shelf for a while longer.