Book Review: Hannah Green and Her Unfeasibly Mundane Existence
By: Michael Marshall Smith
Published By: Harper Voyager
Publication Date: June 1, 2017
Page Count: 400
Page Count: 400
Source: RC kindly provided by publisher
Young Adult - Paranormal Adventure
Hannah's parents have recently separated, and her mom is living and working in London, while Hannah and her dad remain in California. Going through the motions of home life and school, our tween heroine decides that her life has become "unfeasibly mundane." Then one night at her grandfather's house, she discovers that her grandfather works for the Devil. The Faustian bargain Hannah's grandfather struck with the Devil in exchange for living forever was to build a machine that channels the energy of evil deeds away from Earth and into Hell (simultaneously providing some protection to the residents of Earth and more power to the Devil). When the Devil realizes the machine has stopped working and needs Hannah and her grandfather to fix it, life suddenly becomes supernaturally a little too interesting.
Hannah's grandfather is the narrator of the story. During his 250+ year life span he has soaked up a lot of wisdom about people and relationships, and dispenses that to Hannah and the reader throughout the course of the book. Some observations are cynical as one might expect of someone who keeps company with the Devil, but others are tender and knowing, which adds depth to this book. Hannah is a typical tween: wise for her years in some ways and shockingly naive in others. What made me love her, though, is the way she both shoulders responsibility and stands up for herself when needed. No one would fault an 11-almost-12 year-old for running from some of the things that happen in the story, yet Hannah does what she must, and seeing Hannah unleash a little preteen attitude on the Devil was pure gold. The Devil is no slouch either. The casual evil that drops from him still manages to catch the reader as a surprise at times, and that is a feat Michael Marshall Smith should be proud of.
Another thing I loved about Hannah Green is the atmosphere of the book. The story is so rooted in the real world that when things start to get weird, it feels even more jarring. Honestly, it made me think of Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas books in the way that most people in the book are just living their lives and have no clue about the supernatural maelstrom spinning around them. And Stranger Things's "Upside Down" has nothing on "The Behind" which is a mirror realm in which people show the things they are trying to hide from in bizarre and disturbing ways.
My one real gripe about the book is that the pacing was uneven. Some parts went so fast only to slam into a section that moved slowly. Then, without warning, events would whip around and accelerate again. I don't know if the author was consciously mirroring the roller-coaster scene toward the end of the book, or not, but it did take away a bit from my reading experience.
I will definitely be checking out other books from this author!
Summary:
It’s not every day that the Devil knocks on your door
From the critically-acclaimed author of Only Forward comes a delightful new tale about Hannah, a young girl living a mundane existence in California, who discovers that her grandfather has been friends with the Devil for the past 150 years . . . and now, they need her help.
Hannah's grandfather is the narrator of the story. During his 250+ year life span he has soaked up a lot of wisdom about people and relationships, and dispenses that to Hannah and the reader throughout the course of the book. Some observations are cynical as one might expect of someone who keeps company with the Devil, but others are tender and knowing, which adds depth to this book. Hannah is a typical tween: wise for her years in some ways and shockingly naive in others. What made me love her, though, is the way she both shoulders responsibility and stands up for herself when needed. No one would fault an 11-almost-12 year-old for running from some of the things that happen in the story, yet Hannah does what she must, and seeing Hannah unleash a little preteen attitude on the Devil was pure gold. The Devil is no slouch either. The casual evil that drops from him still manages to catch the reader as a surprise at times, and that is a feat Michael Marshall Smith should be proud of.
Another thing I loved about Hannah Green is the atmosphere of the book. The story is so rooted in the real world that when things start to get weird, it feels even more jarring. Honestly, it made me think of Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas books in the way that most people in the book are just living their lives and have no clue about the supernatural maelstrom spinning around them. And Stranger Things's "Upside Down" has nothing on "The Behind" which is a mirror realm in which people show the things they are trying to hide from in bizarre and disturbing ways.
My one real gripe about the book is that the pacing was uneven. Some parts went so fast only to slam into a section that moved slowly. Then, without warning, events would whip around and accelerate again. I don't know if the author was consciously mirroring the roller-coaster scene toward the end of the book, or not, but it did take away a bit from my reading experience.
I will definitely be checking out other books from this author!
Summary:
It’s not every day that the Devil knocks on your door
From the critically-acclaimed author of Only Forward comes a delightful new tale about Hannah, a young girl living a mundane existence in California, who discovers that her grandfather has been friends with the Devil for the past 150 years . . . and now, they need her help.
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