The publisher presents the annotation of the book The Raft Woven of Stars by the American author Andrew J. Graff with the following sentence: “You have a remarkable book in your hand.” How many times have we as readers heard this? But this time the statement is more than true. The title is a multi-layered adventure novel for adults, the protagonists of which are two teenage boys who believe they have committed a crime and thus flee the law into the wilderness, and a group of adults who embark on a quest to rescue them.
A Raft Woven of Stars: Fish and Bread, two decades of boys believe they have committed a crime and flee the law into the wilderness… | Blesk – Midjourney AI, idh
“The boys were as afraid of full-grown caimans as they were of Bread’s father. If there was anything that stopped the boys in their tracks, it was the moment a full-grown caiman appeared in front of them and the thing reared up on its back and hissed in a way that seemed unbecoming of a turtle. Turtles and daddies shouldn’t stand on their backs or hiss.’
The encounter with the beautiful but merciless nature brings everyone some form of inner catharsis, in order to bring out their better selves. As a very sensitive observer of the human soul, the author gives the reader a glimpse beneath the surface of things and works non-violently with elements of the supernatural in places. He takes him through a forest full of unexpected pitfalls and a wild river, while not forgetting to spice up the story with his kind humor.
The previous annotation is stingy with specific information, no wonder. A raft woven of stars is not something that can be easily recounted. Whatever words you choose, they would only be a weak decoction of what awaits the reader in the pages of the book. “The art and craftsmanship of this narrative, evident from the first page with its sublime visual constellations, offers raw beauty, a glittering edge of truth and the possibility of redemption,” said The Boston Globe, for example.
“An engaging adventure and a deep reflection on human relationships,” the Library Journal website reviewed, and writer J. Ryan Stradal added: “Graff has created not only a thrilling and adventurous story with a warm heart at the center, but also a whole town of characters that readers can fall in love.’ Yes, the two boys, Fish and Bread, along with Teddy, Sheriff Cal, Tiffany, Miranda or Fish’s grandfather… Each of them will win you over, charm you, possess you.
A Raft Woven of Stars: Fish and Bread, two decades of boys believe they have committed a crime and flee the law into the wilderness… | Blesk – Midjourney AI, idh
“Fish clenched his fists around the tape wrapped around the handlebars. This time he won’t leave Bread. The audacity of the idea seemed so foreign to him that it almost seemed like it belonged to someone else. But not. She was out of his head. Maybe it was because he had known Bread for the third summer and Bread had become more of a brother than a friend. Maybe because Fish was ten years old now and he’ll be eleven in the fall, and there really is a big difference between the heart of a ten-year-old boy and an eleven-year-old boy.’
In their footsteps, you will be happy to make a pilgrimage to the last page of the book, the magic of which does not stop working long after you have finished reading. Graff brilliantly plays with the text here in a dramatic tone, elsewhere with wit, emotion and tension. There will be tears. One of the few titles that is for all generations of boys and men (except for children, of course), will also appeal to a female readership. In short, a raft woven from stars takes you to the realm of great stories. They are still within reach, even though the book was published in our country already two years ago, for example the publishing house Kontrast (Knihy Dobrovský) still has several hundred of them on the shelves. If you become the owner of one, the narration of Andrew J. Graff promises you beautiful literary experiences.
Rating: 80%
Andrew J. Graff
A raft woven of stars
Publisher: Kontrast, 2022 • Number of pages: 328 • Translation: Jana Muriel Preti • Original title: Raft of Stars
