The Dyerville Tales by M. P. Kozlowsky (review)

Twelve-year old Vince Elgin is a weaver of tales, captivating his fellow orphans as they crawl into bed every night with stories of fire and dragons, brave fathers and loving mothers. When his only living relative, his grandfather and namesake, dies at a faraway nursing home, Vince receives a handwritten book documenting the fantastical adventures of the elder Vincent’s life, as well as the sad news that he won’t be able to attend the funeral in the titular Dyerville. Certain his father, of whom no trace was discovered after the house fire that took his mother’s life, will be there, Vince makes a dangerous escape followed by a fraught journey, with the orphanage headmistress in hot pursuit and the murderous, bank-robbing Byron clan on the loose. All the while he reads his grandfather’s spellbinding book, filled with stories of giants, witches, talking horses, and ever-present peril. Readers will enjoy experiencing the adventures of both Vincents, which prove equally engrossing as the novel moves between the harrowing journey of the younger and the otherworldly odyssey of the elder. Kozlowsky deftly intertwines imagination and adventure with sobering realities; while the story arc itself engrosses and the grandfather’s fairytale-like quest enchants, he underpins the novel with an unceasing melancholy that remembers the human heart, its pain, and its need for hope. This will fill the bill for those readers looking for adventure, certainly, but it will pack an even greater punch for those learning the difference between fact and truth.