A Book Review Without Spoilers: The Onion Girl Peels Back Her Layers

I found it ironic as I was thumbing through a shelf of books and unable to make a purchase. If you take all the books I own which have been scattered about on three continents and put them in one room, 75% of them will be of the fantasy or science fiction categories. Still, I came across an author I had heard of before due to comments made on other books I have read. I selected a book and gave it the flip-flip once-over, taking in cover art and comments by publications. This time, however I broke my own rule - I tend to avoid opening books because there's something sensuous about cracking the cover of a book for the first time after you buy it - and I peeked into the cover to read the dedication: "for all those who against all odds made the right choice."

Needless to say this was the first time I have ever bought a book based upon the dedication.

The Author, The Book

De Lint has been called the pioneer of the contemporary fantasy genre, and after reading The Onion Girl I can understand where that comes from. He blends the traditional fantasy themes with the pure, undiluted reality of urban street life - not an easy mix, but its done in such a manner than you wonder why it would seem strange in the first place. De Lint is to fantasy novels what Amy Winehouse is to jazz - gritty and real, not settling for the fluffy, well-worn paths of others with the same talents. This isn't a bedtime story for your 12-year-old.

The book has only two parts in it which seem either overstated or slow. In the first quarter to half of the book there is a lot of focus on Jilly's story which is needed, but you may find yourself saying, "Yes, but what are you going to do about it?" In the last several pages there seems to be an overstated conclusion in that it feels as though the story is being stretched out a bit past its limits (perhaps for the sake of the series). Still, that's about 20 pages at most, so it doesn't detract from the hours spent buried between the covers.