Alphabet Challenge: D
★★★
“The earth, being earth, cannot feel gratitude or award us with medals, but it can grow flowers, and that is our reward.”
D by Michel Faber
How perfect for an Alphabet Challenge to read a book literally titled with a letter! This cute, fast-paced story stars Dhikilo, a young girl who lives in a small English town with her adopted parents. One day, she wakes up to find that the letter “d” has disappeared from signs and people’s speech. Then slowly, items and even animals that begin with “d” start to disappear as well and no one will even acknowledge the change!
Dhikilo teams up with a former and eccentric professor of hers, Professor Dodderfield, and his Labrador Retriever, Nelly Robinson, to follow the dragonflies carrying away the “d”s of the world into the land of Liminus. Dhikilo’s bravery and resourcefulness make her an easy protagonist to root for, helping the reader stay invested throughout the book to see her through her journey.
The tone of the book reminds me of Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson, which is comparable to the feel of The Princess Bride! So I would definitely point you in that direction if you enjoy this story, because Tress does it even better. The voice of the narrator comes through strong with commentary and a breaking-the-fourth-wall sense of humor which is right up my alley. All three of these titles also encapsulate these feeling of adventure and whimsy.
The locations and different creatures of Liminus remind me of The Phantom Tollbooth from fifth grade summer reading! However, from my memory, The Phantom Tollbooth was a little more interesting. I wish Faber had delved more into the land of Liminus and made it feel even more magical. I love feeling transported in my reading but some of the journeying between encounters in that world felt like walking along a blank, white page.
The first half of the book really outperformed the second half of the book in my opinion. I loved the beginning of D with all of its different stops along the way on the journey, but the ending felt rushed and honestly a little anticlimactic. I found this strange since the Author’s Note at the end of the book disclosed that Faber spent thirty-five years crafting this book. I left the book with a lack of closure on a lot of questions!
*Note: This title can be difficult to locate on Goodreads if you just search the title. Instead, type in the author’s name, “Michel Faber”, to find it!