The Boy Who Drew Monsters by Keith Donohue

In The Boy Who Drew Monsters Jack Peter is a peculiar boy who has a complete and utter phobia of going outdoors who spends all of his time inside of his house. Besides his mother and father, his only companion is Nick, his one friend in the world, although they have a relationship that is contentious at best. Oh, and he likes to draw. Without giving any spoilers, that is something that factors heavily into the novel. His parents, along with Nick’s parents are experiencing their own personal and relationship issues. Strange things begin to happen as peculiar things and monsters are witnessed by the characters in the story. There are several red herrings along the way to draw the reader away from what is actually happening.



The novel had good atmosphere and good horror elements along the way. The stark and bleak New England setting added to that sense of foreboding. On the down side, I thought there were dead spots in the novel where little was happening and it seemed drawn out. The characters were flawed but compelling. One thing I didn’t quite get was that Nick and Jack Peter didn’t seem to actually like each other, so I wasn’t sure why they were friends. Perhaps, the best part of the novel was the twist at the end, which I didn’t see coming. There was a strong buildup and the ending really delivered. Although the novel, had a couple of flaws, all was forgiven with the final twist, which is the kind that will stick with me for a long time to come.