I found this book so interesting. You've got a hardened college grad who is somewhere in Europe (or Scotland?) with a voice (as an adult) reminiscent of but totally different from Catcher in the Rye.

As a child, the voice is precocious without being out of character, as James finds himself trying to win the favor of a teacher he believes is the smartest one at his school. We find some deep character flaws in Mervyn himself, and share James' coming of age as he grows away from old friends and figures himself out as a person.

I liked the easy transitions between present day and past times. Every character presented had some kind of depth, except for maybe one that James briefly meets on his way back to the school as an adult.

Overall, a great book to read. Something I would definitely recommend and pick up at a library. As far as my shelves at home, I'm not sure if there will be a print copy, but the e-book is a decent enough price to have on your e-reader.

I was intrigued at the beginning of the story as the author has the main two characters crossing paths years later after their first encounter. As they meet again, it is amazing how individuals can change in just a few short years. The transformation that occurs was caused by some event or events that make these individuals not even want to admit they know each other. As the story progresses, we are moved back in time to how the relationship began and the story has its ups and downs, leaving me feeling a bit frustrated. There were times in the novel of great moments of thoughts and inspirations and times were I was tired of nothing occurring. I enjoyed the side characters more than I enjoyed the main character as I got tired with him. James was a boy who I thought was too serious for a child his age. As I read along, I thought perhaps James would get bored with his obsession but that is not the case. The man, who James became obsessed with, was his math instructor at the boarding school which he attended. Mervyn was a mysterious man as he liked to keep to himself, he didn’t want to reveal much of his private life to others and he was man of few words but the words he spoke were important. James, on the other hand, became obsessed with the goings-on of Mervyn and wanted to know more about him than what he wanted to reveal publicly. Mervyn is the new math instructor this year and James is fixated on Mervyn. James drags his friend Charlie with him along on some of his adventures, spying and following his math teacher around, trying to get him to spend more time with James and desperately digging for any information he can get on Mervyn. As James tries to find his way into Mervyn life, the man slowly opens up and reveals parts of his world. A young boy, his mind and body still growing and grasping for ideas and Mervyn a man in his path. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Hookline Books in exchange for an honest review.