Saturday, February 9, 2013

Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend

Title:  Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend
Author:  Matthew Dicks
Publication Information:  St. Martin's Press. 2012. 314 pages.

Book Source:  I read this book based on how interesting the premise of the book sounded.

Favorite Quote:  "I might need Max's imagination to exist, but I have my own thoughts, my own ideas, and my own life outside of him. I am tied to Max the same way an astronaut is tied to his spaceship by hoses and wires. If the spaceship blows up and the astronaut dies, that doesn't mean the astronaut was imaginary. It just means that his life support was cut off."

Max is a little boy that people say is a little different. Budo is Max's imaginary friend, and this is Budo's story. It is a story about unconditional love. Budo exists only because Max imagined him and continues to exist as long as Max believes in him. As such, Max is Budo's entire world, and Max's safety and happiness is Budo's primary concern.

One day, the unthinkable happens. Max is in trouble - real, life-altering trouble - and it is up to Budo to save him. The question is how far will Budo go and what will the consequences be for him.

I loved the perspective of this book, and the fact that an imaginary friend tells a story about real love. The book is written as a first person narrative in Budo's voice. This is the book's strength and its weakness.

Budo's voice brings a unique angle to this story. Through his voice, we feel the love and the conflict and the difficult choices. However, because Max is a child and Budo is the creation of a child's imagination, he has a child-like voice. This quality comes through clearly in the writing. It is entirely appropriate for the book, but sometimes difficult to read.

An intriguing premise. An interesting story. A somewhat challenging read. My overriding thought - I want a real friend like Budo!

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