"And this, really, is the story-within-the-story, because if you do not believe that hearts can bloom suddenly bigger, and that love can open like a flower out of even the hardest places, then I am afraid that for you the world will be long and brown and barren, and you will have trouble finding the light.
But if you do believe, then you already know all about magic."
Lauren Oliver's
Liesl & Po is not going to be for everyone. It deals with
heavy concepts such as
death, murder, disappearances, the afterlife… but intertwines them with
magic, and love, and timeless friendship. These are topics that are
heavy for adults, let alone younger readers; but
Lauren Oliver presents them in a way that is
melancholy and beautiful and poetic and, IMO, impossible to put down.
Eleven-year-old Liesl has not seen
the light of day for a
very, very long time. The reason? Upon her father’s falling ill, her
greedy, evil stepmother {what even is a story without an
evil stepmother?!} locked her away in the attic, opening the door
only long enough for a servant to toss
meager meals to the dwindling girl. Her
only connection to the outside world a tiny attic window that she rarely glimpses out of. The
third day after her father passes, however,
things change; for on the
third day Liesl has visitors…
but not visitors of this world.
Po and Bundle are from the
Other Side; interlopers who,
out of curiosity, lifted the veil to Liesl’s world, the
Living Side. The appearance of Po, a
blurry spirit who is
neither boy nor girl, and has no recollection of its life on the
Living Side; and the
also smudgy Bundle, who is neither dog nor cat, serve as a form of
hope for the somber Liesl, and quickly become comrades to the
lonely yet charming child. But that is not where their
motley crew ends, for there is also Will.
Apprentice to an
unkind alchemist whom refers to him as Useless more often than not;
Will knows Liesl from afar, spotting her by moonlight at her attic window, where she occasionally sits with head bent over her sketchpad. While Will and Liesl have
never met face to face; Will has had
many imaginary encounters with the orphan, and has hopes to make them a reality. But the
circumstances in which his dreams become a reality are quite
out of the ordinary.
A
collision between Liesl and Will is set on course during a return to the Other Side by Po and Bundle. While there, the two
happen upon Liesl’s deceased father; and, after an
interesting conversation with the
lost man, inform Liesl of his
bizarre words, setting the orphan in motion. Liesl now has something to keep her occupied:
returning her father’s ashes to her childhood home - the last place he was happy. But as she plans her escape and journey, a mix-up involving the
greatest powers in the world and
said ashes, bring Liesl and Will together and
intertwine their story in a remarkable way.
Liesl is
understated yet charming. Though she starts off
lithe and ghost-like herself, she has a
fiery spirit and determination that will
enchant and captivate readers.
Will, as her companion, is
humorous and kind; and you can’t help but to
empathize with his character, and the hand he has been dealt in life. The true stars for me, however, remain
Po and Bundle.
There is something about Po that is
highly reminiscent of
Casper {think
1995 version starring Christina Ricci and Devon Sawa}. He is
kind and caring and friendly in the same vein as
Casper; yet you feel pain behind his words, and can’t help but to
feel your heart break at his lack of memories. His bond with Bundle is so
very heartwarming {perhaps a continuation from their time on the
Living Side?}; and a
reminder of how important the
human / animal bond truly is.
Liesl & Po is such a
beautiful book to get lost within. I absolutely cannot recommend it more -
especially during spooky season!
To Lauren Oliver: please continue Po and Bundle’s story – I would love to learn more about their time on the Living Side, and the cause of their untimely end.
Star Rating: ****
xx