Pobby and Dingan

Pobby and Dingan by Ben Rice is an enchanting tale that reminds all of us what it is like to be a child, so absolutley devoted to our imaginations. This, is a story of family, friends, and faith. Never hae I encountered a tale that so brilliantly shared a brother’s care for his sister to the point that Pobby and Dingan does. Prepare for an outside-of-the-box story that will steal your heart in just a matter of pages. The characters are original, the storyline unique, and the overall novella is a breathtaking piece of literature for older children up to grown adults.

Enjoying books which are not the run of the mill, I was lost for a moment and decided to see what one of my favourite authors enjoyed reading. This was on Dan Rhodes' list of thoroughly enjoyed books. I can see why. A lovely tale of two children in Australia. A superb yarn. I felt light and refreshed and awed by the mastery at telling what seemed during the reading as such a simple tale. One to stay with you.

Enthralling storytelling. Beautifully written and thought provoking.

I picked up Pobby and Dingan having no idea what the book was about but having seen it on an earlier year's NY Times Notable Books list. I am glad I did go ahead and read it as I enjoyed it a great deal and definitely recommend it to others. The book is about a young woman named Kellyanne Williamson who has two imaginary friends--Pobby and Dingan. Being imaginary, nobody has yet seen these two characters other than Kellyanne and her insistence on the reality of their being infuriates many at first including her brother Ashmol and her father. One day however, Kellyanne announces that they have disappeared and gone missing and she becomes quite ill as they increasingly cannot be found even after constant searching by many including her father who gets himself into a good bit of trouble in the Australian mining city they live in. Hospitalized with grief, Ashmol goes out in a final search for them and realizes that more than finding them is his challenge of convincing others of their importance to his ailing sister. A great story about how a town can come together under unusual circumstances to do the right if not obvious thing.

Brilliant story that changes how you think about reality, and a macabre fairy tale about gender stereotyping. Wonderful writing!