Like many titles this year, I’ve wanted to read This Is a Door by Daniel Nayeri for a while. But I only had an online reader copy and the book was going to be around 400 pages, which did not seem plausible for me to read via an online reader copy on my (work) computer (never mind I can’t do picture books on my phone without issues, a full novel was practically impossible and would need to be read via lunch breaks at work on said computer). However, surprise! It is not a full novel. Well, it is; but it isn’t also. You see, there are a few images tossed around (mostly they are all blacked out pages), and there are huge white spaces where text would be. Sometimes the text would be snaking across the page, other times it would be stacked up in the shape of a ghost. Sometimes the text was faded to represent a place and sometimes the text was at the top of the page, bottom of the page, one large word, one small world and occasionally in a traditional placement. The text (and story) is all over the place. 
The tone was making me think three things: first this was a translation. I couldn’t deduce if it was German, French, or a Scandinavian language (as they can feel similar to my reading ear after translation). Second, it felt like The Little Prince. Or I should say the overall feeling was. It was lofty, thoughtful, pushing for you to travel a certain path. And finally, the third was, is this going to be spiritual (little s), Spiritual (big S), or Christian based? I wasn’t half way yet and I was, Oh-kay, Christian (God mentioned) but then, well maybe spiritual. No, there is God again…. I was a little over halfway and said, “This is going to be Spiritual (big S) if not Christian leaning.” (I still might change my mind.)
This was at 300 words and was only halfway through the actual book. I tweaked it and at over 480 words later, I am posting the review, without finishing. (Guess it has made an impact.) I am posting this review not because I am loving what I am reading, but because I think others need to know what they are getting themselves into. Or could get themselves into. I don’t know if I would recommend this book to anyone in particular as I don’t think it has a genre. Sure, publishers say it is for ages 8 to 12 (or third to young fifth grade). I guess if you like The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Selznick or his other similarly created books (though they have images, this really doesn’t) maybe this is for you. Maybe if you want a Labyrinth (movie) meets The Little Prince (book) meets The Muppets (humor) meets The Last Unicorn (movie) this is a book you want to check out.
