The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories | ||||||||||||||||
Tim Burton | ||||||||||||||||
Rob Weisbach Books (Morrow), 115 pages | ||||||||||||||||
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A review by Margo MacDonald
Where did Tim Burton grow up? Well, I'm not sure, but it must have
been on the same street as Edward Gorey and Gary Larson. Burton has
illustrated this book with grotesquely simple line drawings, highly
reminiscent of Edward Gorey though nowhere near as elegant. The text
for each story is brief. In fact, most of these stories are too short
to really be considered stories -- they are more like poems, somewhere
near the category of limericks, I think, and all of them are devilishly gruesome.
Don't read this book if you have nightmares about giving birth to
some grotesque, non-human child. Burton has these kind of dreams
and he illustrates most of them in this book. There is the title
child "Oyster Boy" who has an oyster for a head and meets a most
horrific end; there is "Robot Boy" whose parentage is the question
of the day; we must not overlook "Stain Boy"; "Roy, the Toxic Boy";
"Mummy Boy"; "Jimmy, the Hideous Penguin Boy"; and "Anchor Baby" whose
names pretty much speak for themselves. But if you are a fan of dark
humour, like I am, then this book will make a nice little Christmas
gift to yourself (a much better one than the kids in the book
receive, I can assure you).
Do not be deceived, no one comes to any good in these stories. You
will not learn any life lessons from them (except for maybe not to
copulate with things that are not of the same species as you). But
it is a charming little book, in the way taxidermy is charming. You
will want to read it as soon as you pick it up, so beware -- it looks
so unassuming on the outside, just a black cloth cover with a title
plate, but inside are bugs and nails and fire. You won't know how
much those things will make you shudder until you have read this
book. Open the cover and enter, if you dare, the dark twisted
world of Tim Burton. I've been there and I must confess that there
is no one like him for the ability to make you laugh in spite of
your cringing.
Margo has always been drawn toward fantasy and, at the age of 5, decided to fill her life with it by pursuing a career as a professional actress. Aside from theatre (and her husband), Margo's passion has been for books. Her interests are diverse and eclectic, but the bulk fall within the realm of speculative fiction. She tells us that her backlog has reached 200 books and she's ready to win the lottery and retire. |
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