The Love Curse Of The Rumbaughs By Jack Gantos

Everyone loves their mother. It’s only natural, right? But what happens when you love her so much you can’t bear to let her go - ever?

Set in Pennsylvania, this gothic and frankly avant garde tale covers the life of a young girl, Ivy the narrator, her mother and her two twin uncles. She lives in a hotel across the road from where her uncles live and work at a pharmacy. The twins have a passion for taxidermy, and its not just animals they preserve, as Ivy soon discovers when she finds her dead grandma, perfectly preserved, clothes and all. She discovers that the twins love their mother so much they can’t bear to ever let her go. What she doesn’t realise until much later is that she is destined to follow in the footsteps of the twins, Ab and Dolph, due to the Love Curse of the Rumbaughs. She reacts to this very calmly by telling her mother “don’t worry, some day I’ll do the same to you too.” Full of twists and morbid humor, this book is fantastic for anyone with even a mild interest of gothic literature.

While best known for his books for younger children, Jack Gantos brilliantly explores the shocking things some people will do for love. Very thought provoking, shocking and fantastic.

Rating: 9/10

The Love Curse Of The Rumbaughs By Jack Gantos can be bought from Amazon