Jenny Valentine - Finding Violet Park

Quirky little book, this one is. First impressions? It smacks a little of Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time from the quirky and unusual lead character to the side detective story when Lucas embarks on a quest to find Violet Park. Nevertheless, Finding Violet Park is a clever and original story in its own right, which really is not so much about finding Violet Park, but Lucas's own journey to break free from his abandonment issues and trauma after his father vanished without a trace and to accept his family as it is. Valentine weaves in an improbable connection between a dead lady whose ashes are stashed in a minicab office and Lucas's father, but somehow, the tale works, resulting in a funny and moving story with fabulous, well-observed characters. I purchased this book on a whim because of its interesting cover and I'm really glad I did so. This is an unusual but enjoyable read that I would highly recommend to readers of all ages.