The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann

[achallender]

I'm going to be honest, I bought this book based on the cover. I had no clue what to expect, especially because the cover is a picture of a mechanical bird flying over, what looks to be, London.
This is probably one of the strangest books I've read in a while. It's about Bartholomew Kettle who lives in the futuristic slums of Bath, England with his sister and mother. He sees a mysterious lady that turns his world upside down. Soon there after, he's left wondering what is real and what isn't. With mystery, murder, time travel, and a band of characters that will make your skin crawl, this Gothic novel has everything. Bachmann is extremely detail oriented in the way he weaves all of the stories together. It's a dark book with not a lot of reprieve. The most amazing thing about this book? Bachmann was only 16 when he wrote it!