(image taken from internet)
I was expecting a story about…. I do not know. But not something like what Lint Boy is. I did not realize Aileen Leijten’s story was going to be part gingerbread boy, part Coraline and part Toy Story. To name a few. I am sure you could find other stories to compare it too.
On the surface it is a quirky fantasy story of friendship and never giving up. It is about loyalty and fighting for what is right. A little deeper, it is a nightmare. This graphic novel tells the story of how some lint and buttons come alive while being “baked” in the dryer. At the same time, a bear is created, too. When the top of their world opens, they hide as Bear knows tht the light is not a good thing (after all, the onesie socks hide, and as they have been there longer, they must know what is going on. But of course, accidents happen, and Bear is taken out of the dryer one day, and into the hands of the sworn enemy of doll kind! A villain so hideous she has been tormenting dolls since she should have been playing with them. A series of events lead to Lint Boy being taken too, and here he makes new friends and a plan to have the other dolls escape.
The plot is simple enough, but there are dolls getting hair cut off, pins stuck in them and glued onto their heads. Clothes are taken off and a Beetlejuice like outfit replaces Lint Boys sweater ensemble. All manner of torture and evil takes place. And this is for kids?????
I don’t think I can recommend this to too many people. If anyone. And if I did, it would be an adult. This book has a feel of an old-world, European folktale but with modern sentiments. The art is (as an author review said about the authors animation creations) experimental. It is cute, but odd, even awkward at times. Colors are muted, blend together and the details can be hard to piece together. Yet, one does need to look at them for some subtle jokes (our villain has a dog that does what dogs tend to do) and a few things to move the story forward.
With all my dislike, most reviews I read liked it four to five stars. However, one teacher only gave it two stars. And they said it best with this comment, “(it felt like a) translated version and something in it didn’t translate into English. It was a little scary, but the resolution felt too easy and I never quite felt like the characters were as endearing as the adorable cover was.”
As most books, it is a YMMV kind of tale.