I am writing this review as I am re-reading The Boy Lost in the Maze, the stories of Theo, Theseus, the Minotaur – each protagonist’s story mirroring the others in their similarities – tales as old as time told, and retold until edges have blurred and new lights are cast on elements often obscured in previous tellings.
I drowned in Joseph Coelho’s poetry, as I finished each (brief) chapter I felt like I was coming up for air before submerging myself in the narrative again..
The rawness of their search for fatherhood and identity to help scrub away their feelings of abandonment and shame left me feeling overwhelmed yet unable to lay the book down.
The choose your own adventure element came as a delightful surprise and kept it from being a cover to cover read, allowing the reader to decide what actions should be taken, influencing the story and having a slightly different experience with each reread.
This work will win awards, not just because Joseph is the current Waterstones Poet Laureate, but because in the deceptive simplicity of the lines and verses lies a deep, complex story that will swallow you whole and hold you entranced until the final page is turned.
The Boy Lost in the Maze is the third work by Joseph Coelho and artist Kate Milner. It is published by Otter-Barry Books and is available from October 6th.
Highly recommended for readers of all ages!
