Editor A gave me this beautiful Reif Larsen novel for Christmas. Never have I read a book that reminded me more of a Wes Anderson film—or, more accurately, I liked it for some of the same reasons I like Wes Anderson movies: it’s delightfully, obsessively detailed; it takes place in a surreal, hyperintelligent, slightly old-fashioned/timeless reality; the main character is a sheltered, socially awkward, emotionally immature, unbelievably precocious child genius; and the plot requires some suspension of disbelief.
Raised on a Montana ranch by a cowboy father and a scientist mother, with a dramatic teenage sister and a beloved younger brother who recently died in a tragic accident, Tecumseh Sparrow Spivet is a 12-year-old cartographer so artistically gifted that he wins a prestigious fellowship from the Smithsonian (the givers of the award have no idea he’s a child, of course) and decides to run away from home and ride the rails across the country to Washington, D.C. to accept it. Adventure and self-discovery, of course, ensue. T.S. is a charming narrator, and nearly every page of the book is illustrated with all his maps, charts, and illustrations. While the story wandered a bit, weakened toward the end, and ended too abruptly for me, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m always a sucker for a coming-of-age story, and I especially loved that the book is such a celebration of bookishness—with its extra-large hardcover size and complex marginalia, this is not something you could listen to as an audiobook or, I imagine, enjoy on an e-reader. Definitely a keeper. Thanks, Editor A!
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