“It sounds crackers doesn’t it?” This, spoken while he explains that his characters demand their stories be told, is one of the reasons why David Almond is so well-loved. His Geordie accent creates an atmosphere of familiarity and camaraderie. Known for the Carnegie Medal winning debut novel ‘Skellig,’ Almond has written a novel that transcends the barrier between children’s and adult fiction. Children’s fiction, he says, is experimental because its marginalised status gives it more freedom. He is proud that it is his experience of writing for children that allows him to write a book for adults in “misspelt Geordie”. With much discussion of the nature and power of stories, this was a tremendously fitting end to the Book Festival.
RBS Corner Theatre, Aug 29, 7.00pm (8.00pm), £5.00 – £7.00, bfpp56.
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Sections: by Camille Burns - ED2011 Book Reviews | Tags: Edinburgh International Book Festival
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