Gossamer by Lois Lowry

7 Stars

"Where do dreams come from? What stealthy nighttime messengers are the guardians of our most deeply hidden hopes and our half-forgotten fears? Drawing on her rich imagination, two-time Newbery Medal winner Lois Lowry confronts these questions and explores the conflicts between the gentle bits and pieces of the past that come to life in dream and the darker horrors that find their form in nightmare. In a haunting story that tiptoes between reality and imagination, two people--a lonely, sensitive woman and a damaged, angry boy--face their own histories and discover what they can be to each other, renewed by the strength that comes from a tiny, caring creature they will never see." (Taken from inside cover.)

This was a very imaginative, if very brief, read. The concept of tiny fairy-like people bestowing dreams--as well as their awful, sweating and snorting counterparts, the Sinisteeds, who inflict nightmares--was very unique. And Lowry's treatment of it, if a tad over-simplistic, is interesting. This is a book that I would feel comfortable recommending to a fairly young audience (as young as 8, I think), though there are some intense references to a physically abusive husband/father. It is a simple book, but I have to admit that I totally cried in a couple of spots.