Found Family Fantasies: Bone Door and The Teller of Small Fortunes

12 May

The Bone Door
by Frances White
The Bone Door is a haunting new dark fantasy/horror novel about a boy who awakes with no memories of who he is and how he got to the mysterious labyrinth he is in. He picks up a found family of other youth as he tries to escape. This story was much darker than I originally expected and those who are sensitive to violence, especially against children, may find this book very intense. However, the violence is not simply gratuitous, but is used to look at themes of overcoming one’s prescribed destiny and situation of birth. Though the story is edgy, it overall brings with it a sense of hope that darkness, even the internal kind can be overcome. If you enjoy The Bone Door you can also check out Frances White’s debut, Voyage of the Damned.

The Teller of Small Fortunes
by Julie Leong
The Teller of Small Fortunes is a charming story about a lonely fortune teller and the found family of friends: an apprentice baker, a reformed thief, and a ex-mercenary looking for his daughter that she meets along her journey. In the story the fortune teller, Tao, is living in is a Fantasy World similar to our own; although it is given a different name in the story many of the details about the main characters birthplace seem similar to China; the author lived in Beijing as a teen. Those who themselves moved to another country in their youth and the children of immigrants will see themselves in Tao’s struggles with reconciling the two worlds she belongs to, that of her current home and the place and culture she was born into. The story also explores the importance of good friendships and ways to build bridges between estranged biological family members. This story will appeal to those who are fans of Legends and Lattes. If you enjoy The Teller of Small Fortunes, you can also check out Leong’s The Keeper of Magical Things.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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Film Adaptation: Stephen King’s Needful Things (1993)

7 May

You can have whatever you want and favors mean more than cash at Needful Things. Everyone finds what they can’t lie without here or what they’ve regrettably let behind in a past life. 

Cover for Needful Things (MGM). Ed Harris and Bonnie Bedelia appear in the foreground looking alarmed, while Max Von Sydow's face looms large in the background. The tagline reads: "The town of Castle Rock just made a deal with the Devil...Now it's time to pay."

The movie adaptation of Stephen King’s Needful Things does a good job bringing to life one of King’s most underrated villains, Leland Gaunt. For those not familiar with the story, Mr. Gaunt (Max Von Sydow) is the Devil in human form, and he comes to Castle Rock, Maine to open a collectibles and antiques shop. Ed Harris plays the town’s sheriff, who has his suspicions after just his first meeting with the store owner and serves as the rational anchor as the town unravels.

Of course, die-hards will point out the movie’s derailment in many areas from the book, but let’s be realistic that it’s impossible to fit all the details of a 700 page book into two hours. The movie brings forth the mainstream style of a big studio while preserving King’s spiderweb design of greed and seduction’s hold on us. It teeters into dark comedy at times, showing the town as ugly from the beginning, with grudges festering around every corner. Yep, perfect pickings for the Devil to exploit.

The pranks each customer plays on each other to “pay off their debt” leads to murderous consequences, and all the while Mr. Gaunt revels in it. Max Von Sydow was a perfect pick for this role.

This movie won’t scare you or make you keep the lights on until the very last second before bed. Instead, it will, at least it did for me, cast gloom over the power that possessions and the want for prestige can hold over us. The more we want, the more the Devil entangles our minds to do his will. And what this story makes chillingly clear is that his will isn’t to destroy the world. No, it’s to watch it torture itself into madness.

As Mr. Gaunt says at the end, “This town wasn’t my best work, but it was fun.” Then he drives away.

Have you seen Needful Things (or read the book)? What did you think? Comment below.

You can reserve the movie here and the book here,

Horror fan and interested in the Hoboken Library’s Horror/Thriller Book Club? Please email reference@hobokenlibrary.org, or register for our next meeting by searching under Events on our website.

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Written by:
Sean Willey
Information and Digital Services Assistant

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