The Ninth Life of Louis Drax

Apr 17, 2013 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: all but psychopathic picnickers

Recommended to Mark by: my friend Eunice

Shelves: first-person-narration

The opening line draws you in on the instant

' I'm not most kids. I'm Louis Drax. Stuff happens to me that shouldn't happen, like going on a picnic where you drown '

Such an opening could, I suppose, head off in a number of different directions. Downwards to cliched cleverness, upwards to bizarre stratospheric confusion, meander around the foothills in which wood and trees get totally indistinguishable or settle into a mixture of all three and from that melee produce a really fascinating reflectio...more The opening line draws you in on the instant

' I'm not most kids. I'm Louis Drax. Stuff happens to me that shouldn't happen, like going on a picnic where you drown '

Such an opening could, I suppose, head off in a number of different directions. Downwards to cliched cleverness, upwards to bizarre stratospheric confusion, meander around the foothills in which wood and trees get totally indistinguishable or settle into a mixture of all three and from that melee produce a really fascinating reflection on universal questions such as the way appearances can deceive, the pros and cons of sacrificial love, the demands and responsibilities inherent in parenthood, the sinister effects cloying vulnerability and artificial neediness can have on relationship and the brutal actions some will take in order to survive at any cost.

This was an incredibly ferocious book; one of those in which it was difficult to settle down in to a comfortable place because everytime you did so another strand holding you attached to 'normal' and 'predictable' snapped and you swayed ever more confusedly over a big dark drop.

The basic plot is of a boy who is in a coma brought about as a result of an horrendous fall. This fall may have been an accident but more likely the result of horribly foul play. Was it the act of spur of the moment madness or a long-term journey of cruel intentional planning. The story is a mixture of the gradual answering of this question, the slow revelation of the real character of the parents, the uncovering of the hurt and harm done to various characters on the periphery of the story and the wreckages of relationship and friendship left in the wake of the action's passing.

We hear the story from two first person narrators. The doctor in charge of the comatose Louis and, ingeniously, from inside the labyrinthine mind of the boy himself. The dark nature of one of the main characters is chilling and shocking, the extraordinary lengths to which they go to flourish in their own warped way is truly unsettling but the honest way in which other mistakes and presumptions and obsessions are examined is strangely hopefilled.

This is a really powerful book, one which will definitely bear re-reading because now the truth of the history is clear it enables the reader to address more honestly the questions it may have thrown up but which were submerged in the mists and fogs of claim and counterclaim, theory and fable.

Well I have just re-read it. And thought i would let you all know; it is definitely worth a re-read. 17:iv:13(less)

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Jul 08, 2008 Rachael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: lit

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 25, 2011 Ivana rated it 4 of 5 stars

I didn't read anything by Liz Jensen before, though I heard quite some stuff about her recently published The Rapture. Now that I have read this one, The Rapture is launched straight to the top of my wishlist.

Louis Drax is an accident-prone nine year old boy from Lyon. Strange things happen to him; he is obsessed with death, strange animals, poisons and raping. Mysteries are built around his young life. After having eight close-to-death experiences, one for each year of his life, the ninth chan...more I didn't read anything by Liz Jensen before, though I heard quite some stuff about her recently published The Rapture. Now that I have read this one, The Rapture is launched straight to the top of my wishlist.

Louis Drax is an accident-prone nine year old boy from Lyon. Strange things happen to him; he is obsessed with death, strange animals, poisons and raping. Mysteries are built around his young life. After having eight close-to-death experiences, one for each year of his life, the ninth changes the course of several lives. One day, onhis ninth birthday, he goes to a picnic with his parents. There a horrible accident happens. Louis falls off a cliff and survives, but is in a deep coma. His father disappears in the ravine too and the only witness is his mother, who seems to hide shocking secrets herself.
He is taken to a specialized clinic in Provence to be under surveillance of Dr Dannachet, one of the best neurologists in France. Soon, strange things start to happen. People in coma don't communicate, let alone write threatening letters to their mother and doctor. Or do they?

The Ninth Life of Louis Drax was a chilling reading experience. It was unsettling and disturbing. Its' written from the perspective of Louis and Dr Dannchet, and their voices mingle and succeed each other through the book. The voice of Louis is the frightening one. Following his thoughts was a pretty creepy experience. Imagine a child in coma having a friend wrapped in bloody bandages who leads him through the labyrinths of his mind on the subconscious level. It should have been obvious from the beginning who Gustave was, but it's another of the shocking moments that this book is full of. Louis sometimes seems to have a too ripe voice for a nine year old child, but as the story unveils, you realize it's not much of a surprise that Louis is thinking about these things.
Dr Dannachet is a character that grows through the story, and goes through a life-turning experience. Falling in love with Louis' mother was the last thing he needs-and the one thing he can't resist.He is torn inside and Liz did a great job describing the turmoil in his soul. Here is one paragraph that perfectly catches what he feels:

"A mixture of feelings-love, distaste, revulsion, pity-rose in my throat like vomit. There was an eternity to that moment, that see-sawing split-second when adoration clung and then lurched, spilling into chaos, rage, hate, anger; the desire to smash and embrace, love and destroy. Betrayal does that. Forces the clash of belief and disbelief. Shows you how worthless love is, when its object is indifferent, ruthless, no more than a machine for surviving." p 210

So, I don't want to give away spoilers, since every small detail I tell you may ruin your reading. But I'll just say that the thematic is being taken on a whole new level and the ending is everything but predictable. Liz has a beautiful writing voice and provides a narrative that will grip you from the first sentence. That's one I'd like to share. The only titled chapter is the first one. You have three chances to guess; it's titled WARNING:

"I'm not most kids. I'm Louis Drax. Stuff happens to me that shouldn't happen, like going on a picnic where you drown." p 1
Now, if that's not a killing first line...

Liz Jensen keeps shocking you on every single page without watering down the story. The only reason I'd rate the book 4/5 is that I believe there is plenty of space to flesh it out further. It hangs somewhere in between, and I'd love it to be at least a bit darker to fully capture the spirit of the incident.

The Ninth Life of Louis Drax is a fast-paced and extremely exciting thriller that will have you bound to the book from the very beginning. It takes you on a tour through the maze of your subconscious and raises lots of questions. I highly recommend it and I'm looking forward to read some more by Liz Jensen.
(less)

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Apr 08, 2012 Michelle Teoh rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Oh my God. Spent the whole day reading this and oh my God.

The reason I'd bought this book in the first place was because it was ridiculously cheap, at a Popular books clearance sale. I hadn't thought much of the book, since I've never heard of the title and the author before. Books which I buy without actually wanting to buy them are books that are normally left on my shelf for a long time until I go through my booklist.

But this was different, and after finishing The Fault In Our Stars, I decid...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Hannah Wingfield rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was about to open this by saying “Liz Jensen is one of the best authors I’ve discovered in 2012″, but let’s be honest, she’s not. Yes, I’ve also read The Rapture and My Dirty Little Book Of Stolen Time this year, and gave them 4 and 3 star reviews respectively, and yes, she does consistently deliver quirky plots and intriguing main characters, but Liz Jensen’s novels are sadly not up there with the likes of Kate Atkinson – certainly my best discovery of 2012 (and yes, I realise I’m very late t...more

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Dec 14, 2012 Lee Razer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, crime-fiction

I was anticipating a much stronger fantasy/magical realist element here. Blurb talks about a boy who survives eight major accidents, one for each year of his life, and on his ninth birthday falls off a cliff and into a coma. While in the coma he encounters a mysterious figure inside his head. While none of that description is inaccurate, the explanation in the novel is out of the realm of the literary crime/psychological thriller genre rather than the fantasy/supernatural genre.

While I feel som...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Elke Kleutghen added it · review of another edition

I just finish reading this bizar novel. The story is told by differente characters and you are left to figure it out for yourself. There were no chapters and the time-line went back and forth because each "chapter" was telling the same part of the story, but through different eyes. I liked it although it was a confusing read, but if you just went with the flow and let the story come to you in an organic way, it was enjoyable. The trick is to let go and just follow the train of thoughts of the di...more

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Sep 03, 2008 Beth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Read this. It was awesome. A little boy gets hurt and ends up in a coma... this book is about what happens to him, his doctors and his family while he's 'under'. A little bit bizarre, and of course, that's what makes it fun.

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Jan 21, 2013 Panagiota Papadopoulou rated it 5 of 5 stars

Surprisingly enough,I found this book at a small library made especially for children. I really have no idea how this book got there. The reason I picked it was basically because I had already read all the books over there.
To be honest,I thought I would be easily bored by this book but,God,was I wrong! When I realized what was going on and that the story wasn't about a young boy describing his daily life,I became addicted to it!
I don't think that the author wanted to create a thriller/mystery/f...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Ally rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A long time ago I saw this book reviewed in a newspaper and thought it sounded very interesting and felt I had to get it. So I set off for the book store to find it. However .... When I got there my mind went blank. I couldn't remember the name of the book, couldn't remember what the author's name was, could only very vaguely remember the premise. The only clear image I had of the book was what the cover looked like. Cursing myself for being so stupid I headed back home to consult the newspaper...more

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Mar 06, 2009 Ian Mapp rated it 2 of 5 stars

There was just enough mystery to keep me on this book. A boy is in a coma and we learn about his background (accident prone, family secrets, suspicious circumstances on how he got there) and the author does an excellent job of keeping the intrigue going as secrets are slowly revealed about the boy and his family. This works well.

Where the book struggles is with the basic premise. 1) The boys doctor is being used as a medium of communication (Ok, I can suspend belief) and 2) the same doctor falls...more

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Dec 21, 2011 Tara E rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I found the premise imaginative like many reviewers have said, I have to admit it was a bit of a let down by the end and won't really stick with me.
I'm surprised they're bothering making this into a movie... There are many more interesting, and engaging than this.

I do like Liz Jensens style of writing and the different ideas she has for books, but having read this and The Rapture there is a certain element of disappointment and anti climax with her novels.

Simply put, this hasnt been a novel I'...more

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May 14, 2010 Dana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Louis is a very accident prone boy. Every year he has a horrendous accident from which he survives. This year while on a picnic with his parents for his ninth birthday he falls over a cliff. Louis dies but is brought back to life and ends up in a coma. This story is told by Louis and his doctor (Dr. Pascal Dannachet).

Louis' mother is in shock, his father has disappeared and Louis is in a coma. What happened? Louis slowly unravels the bizarre and dark tale while the doctor relates his own impress...more

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May 06, 2010 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Kim by: karen brissette

Shelves: mmx, contemporary

Books are the bestest gifts.

Really. Just a few months ago I gave away my top five books to five people who have been vital to my physical and mental health during the last year. I made them take turns reading them and the reviews that I wrote of them. Did I care if they really liked them? Sort of. Did I make them read them all? You betcha. Why? Because, duh, it’s all about me.

I believe (all mine) that there are only a few reasons to give books:

1. You want the person to see what you loved about...more

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May 07, 2012 Hannah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012

Very unique and quirky book, probably for that reason it won't appeal to everyone. The author has been very clever with the plot, and all storylines feed together perfectly - nothing is overlooked or dropped without proper closure. It's a very tidy and well thought out book.

I do not normally like child narrators but actually with this book I was left wishing there could have been a bit more Louis in it, and his voice gets less and less from about the half way point.

You do need to suspend realit...more

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Apr 19, 2012 Anika rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ich bin mir bei diesem Buch wirklich etwas unschlüssig...
Einerseits fand ich die Ideen der Autorin wirklich sehr gut und auch die Entwicklung und der Lauf der Geschichte war spannend und fesselnd. Die verschiedenen Erzählstränge werden nach und nach auf eine spannende Weise verknüpft und ergeben ein erschreckendes und zum Nachdenken anregendes Ende. Auch die verschiedenen Charaktere sind gut herausgearbeitet.
Andererseits waren einige Elemente (z. B. die Beziehung des Arztes zu Louis Mutter, auch...more

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Mar 26, 2009 Steve rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

****Possible plot spoiler alert****

One of my favourite reads of 2006. Although the main character was very strong, his unique young view delivered well to the page by Liz Jensen, I found the other male characters very weak. The female characters, however, particularly the mother, were the opposite, very strong. I found myself falling for the mother, but shall say no more.

Apparently the film rights to this work have been sold, which I can understand, but I think that Liz Jensen has more to offer...more

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Nov 03, 2012 Helen rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book was quite different to others I have read but it made a nice change and I thought it was ok. It was a little predictable but I enjoyed the concept - there is a storyline in to investigating what happened to Louis for him to end up in the coma and there is also the storyline dealing with what Louis is experiencing while in the coma.

It's written from the perspective of either Louis or his doctor and the writing styles are very different so that when reading Louis' sections you believe th...more

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Jan 26, 2013 Ian added it · review of another edition

Whenever I see a Liz Jensen book I’ve not read in a charity shop, I buy it. But I think I shall start buying them new because I’ve yet to be disappointed with any of her books I’ve read. And that’s not something I can say for many of the authors I read regularly. The Ninth Life of Louis Drax is set in France in the present day, and the eponymous character is an accident-prone ten-year-old boy currently lying in a coma after falling down a cliff at a family picnic. His father is also missing and,...more

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Jan 10, 2011 Ivana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I didn't read anything by Liz Jensen before, though I heard quite some stuff about her recently published The Rapture. Now that I have read this one, The Rapture is launched straight to the top of my wishlist.

Louis Drax is an accident-prone nine year old boy from Lyon. Strange things happen to him; he is obsessed with death, strange animals, poisons and raping. Mysteries are built around his young life. After having eight close-to-death experiences, one for each year of his life, the ninth chan...more I didn't read anything by Liz Jensen before, though I heard quite some stuff about her recently published The Rapture. Now that I have read this one, The Rapture is launched straight to the top of my wishlist.

Louis Drax is an accident-prone nine year old boy from Lyon. Strange things happen to him; he is obsessed with death, strange animals, poisons and raping. Mysteries are built around his young life. After having eight close-to-death experiences, one for each year of his life, the ninth changes the course of several lives. One day, onhis ninth birthday, he goes to a picnic with his parents. There a horrible accident happens. Louis falls off a cliff and survives, but is in a deep coma. His father disappears in the ravine too and the only witness is his mother, who seems to hide shocking secrets herself.
He is taken to a specialized clinic in Provence to be under surveillance of Dr Dannachet, one of the best neurologists in France. Soon, strange things start to happen. People in coma don't communicate, let alone write threatening letters to their mother and doctor. Or do they?

The Ninth Life of Louis Drax was a chilling reading experience. It was unsettling and disturbing. Its' written from the perspective of Louis and Dr Dannchet, and their voices mingle and succeed each other through the book. The voice of Louis is the frightening one. Following his thoughts was a pretty creepy experience. Imagine a child in coma having a friend wrapped in bloody bandages who leads him through the labyrinths of his mind on the subconscious level. It should have been obvious from the beginning who Gustave was, but it's another of the shocking moments that this book is full of. Louis sometimes seems to have a too ripe voice for a nine year old child, but as the story unveils, you realize it's not much of a surprise that Louis is thinking about these things.
Dr Dannachet is a character that grows through the story, and goes through a life-turning experience. Falling in love with Louis' mother was the last thing he needs-and the one thing he can't resist.He is torn inside and Liz did a great job describing the turmoil in his soul. Here is one paragraph that perfectly catches what he feels:

"A mixture of feelings-love, distaste, revulsion, pity-rose in my throat like vomit. There was an eternity to that moment, that see-sawing split-second when adoration clung and then lurched, spilling into chaos, rage, hate, anger; the desire to smash and embrace, love and destroy. Betrayal does that. Forces the clash of belief and disbelief. Shows you how worthless love is, when its object is indifferent, ruthless, no more than a machine for surviving." p 210

So, I don't want to give away spoilers, since every small detail I tell you may ruin your reading. But I'll just say that the thematic is being taken on a whole new level and the ending is everything but predictable. Liz has a beautiful writing voice and provides a narrative that will grip you from the first sentence. That's one I'd like to share. The only titled chapter is the first one. You have three chances to guess; it's titled WARNING:

"I'm not most kids. I'm Louis Drax. Stuff happens to me that shouldn't happen, like going on a picnic where you drown." p 1
Now, if that's not a killing first line...

Liz Jensen keeps shocking you on every single page without watering down the story. The only reason I'd rate the book 4/5 is that I believe there is plenty of space to flesh it out further. It hangs somewhere in between, and I'd love it to be at least a bit darker to fully capture the spirit of the incident.

The Ninth Life of Louis Drax is a fast-paced and extremely exciting thriller that will have you bound to the book from the very beginning. It takes you on a tour through the maze of your subconscious and raises lots of questions. I highly recommend it and I'm looking forward to read some more by Liz Jensen.
(less)

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Aug 15, 2010 Ayesha Chander rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 25, 2010 Tinkerbell - Blog MyImaginarium rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Um livro que tem tanto de encantador como perturbador, devido à temática em si.
Liz Jensen fez um trabalho magnífico na construção das personagens:
Temos o pequeno Louis, um rapaz com predisposição p/ acidentes, que está a realizar terapia com o Perez Gordo, devido à crise familiar em que se encontra. É um rapaz com uma imaginação e humor que nos diverte. E cujo destino culminará tal como previa no grande acidente que o leva ao estado de coma.
Temos o Dr. Pascal Dannachet que se vê perante um caso...more

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Sep 15, 2008 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars

I picked this book up because it promised a 'haunting story' with 'twists and turns'...but I'm not so sure it delivered on all of that.

The first part of the book seems disjointed as it is told from two perspectives, Louis (unfortuneately in a coma) and his doctor. While it doesn't sound confusing, they often switch off without any warning, introduction or pattern. You read two chapters from Louis and then all of sudden your almost two pages into the next chapter and thoroughly confused because i...more

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Mar 03, 2009 Carrie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: disturbing-in-a-good-way

If you like Chuck Palahniuk's style, you should definitely give Liz Jensen a try. In this book, there are two narrators, each with a really distinctive voice. Louis is a disturbed 9-year-old boy who has fallen (or was he pushed?) off a cliff on his 9th birthday while on a picnic with his estranged parents. His father goes missing the same afternoon and Louis dies, but comes back to life and introduces himself to the reader while in a coma. He also likes to tack explanatory phrases onto the ends...more

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Dec 08, 2011 Isabel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had forgotten it was her birthday because I was so excited about mine and getting Mohammed the Third. Papa reminded me on the phone and told me to make a card but I was doing a Lego model of a rocket-launcher plus space capsule and I forgot about the card so in the end I just signed Papa's when he came in his new car that's a Volkswagen Passat. I used black wax crayon, which is for vampire bats and death stuff and the swastika.

What I really like about Liz Jensen is that all her books are entir...more

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Sep 23, 2010 Bill rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, lit-fiction

liz jensen has got to be the most imaginative writer ever. this is the third book by her that i've read in the last couple of weeks and none of them are remotely like the others.her writing is uniformly beautiful and her plots are unbelievably gripping.i read this book in one sitting,pausing only once to dash to the kitchen to get a drink.it is that unputdownable.i'm not going to say a damn thing about the plot, you're just going to have to get the book and read it.you won't be sorry.

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Jul 31, 2012 Emily Randall rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bookcrossing

Wasn't too sure after the first chapter...by the middle of the second chapter I was unable to put the book down!! This book combined two view points whilst telling the story, that of an 8 year old boy and his perspective of events leading up to his accident that put him in a coma and that of a doctor who's specialism lies in coma victims. I felt it was a rather unique approach to revealing the reasons for the accident to occur and will certainly look out for other books by this author.

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Jun 06, 2012 Elsje rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Elsje by: Gnoe Graasland

Shelves: read-2012

Eerder las ik van Jensen de spannende dystopische roman The Rapture. Nu leende ik, weer van haar, The ninth life of Louis Drax.

Het verhaal
Het boek speelt zich af in Zuid-Frankrijk. Hoofdpersoon is de negenjarige Louis Drax. Het is een jochie dat al sinds zijn jeugd het ene ongeluk na het andere heeft gehad. Tot hij op een noodlottige dag tijdens een familie-uitje in een ravijn valt en in coma raakt. Maar was het wel een ongeluk?
Hij wordt opgenomen in een kliniek voor coma-patienten, waar de beha...more

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Jan 30, 2008 Katie Muffett rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Genuinely enjoyed this read, though I felt that more could have been made of the main character Louis.

Sad to say that as with the book 'The Time Traveller's Wife', the authoress can't quite render believable male characters. They are all shown as pathetic - even the highly successful doctor, who must have gotten to his position through fluke rather than motivation. The females are rather heftily used as devices to move the story forward, with Louis' mother literally dragging the climax along wi...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Fab Librarian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Nine year old Louis Drax has had a troubled childhood and is now in a coma after yet another mysterious accident. Doctor Dannachet finds himself intrigued both by Louis and his fragile mother, but as he delves deeper into their lives the doctor risks losing everything.

This is gripping, dark and compelling storytelling.

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