The Wish House, Review

Summer, 1976: Life-changing, heartbreaking, unforgettable. Every year, Richard has taken the same holiday with his parents, in the same part of Wales, meeting up with the same people. But this summer, everything is about to change. With his childhood friend grown-up and working, a bored Richard stumbles upon the occupants of The Wish House, who casually smoke dope on the beach and sunbathe naked. He falls under the influence of Jay Dalton, a famous artist, and his muse/daughter Clio, becoming a subject of Jay's paintings and of Clio's enchantment. Stripped of his innocence, Richard is blind to the dark truths of the Dalton's world with which he is quickly becoming involved. Jay's artistic passion is burning out of control. For his first time in his life, Richard faces betrayal, distrust and deceit-how will he survive the summer at The Wish House unscathed?

REVIEW:
This is the book that made me fall in love with the idea of bohemian lifestyle. Placed on the later 70's this book travels you in a world so much different than ours without the technical achievements that involve our world.

It is summer and our main character, a 15-year-old boy named Richard goes on family vacation on South Wales. It's the place that he and his family going on vacation for several years. But this time something changed. In a big house no far from where his staying is leaving a family. A famous artist with his wife and children. One day, Richard is taking a walk in the woods and meets Clio. The artist's daughter. After several events Richard is losing his virginity with Clio. But the story doesn't end here. Richard is meeting her weird family. They all are bohemians. They believe in free love, they are not following the rules other families have, and they are smoking innocent drugs. Richard is entering this new world where everything seems so easy. No responsibilities. No rules. No secrets. No secrets?

Our character,Richard, is recalling memories and feelings from that summer as he's traveling back in South Wales on his early twenties. It's a memorable journey in the past. Richard didn't only have his first love, first sex and first death, but also learned things that made him change his point of view.

I believe that, this is what the writer tries to achieve. Entering us in a different lifestyle, she makes us consider the possibility of being more open-minded to the people around us.

Despite the fact that it's a small book, it makes you think many things for the people around you, and challenge you to change your lifestyle a little bit. Of course the writer is spreading her own message at the end of the book, reminding us that she is describing a different period of time and that we should not follow the exact facts.

Bottom on this is a book which can be read easily from both sexes. It's simple, a little dramatic, and enters you in another place and time.