- austrianspencer
Skullface Boy - by Chad Lutzke
This is an unforgettable book, to put it mildly. Lutzke first captivated me with his Tim Meyer collaboration “Wormwood”, and since then I’ve been trying to catch up on the back catalog. Skullface boy has elements of “Of foster homes and flies” in it – a young boy (this time a teenager) that goes on a road trip to discover life outside of an orphanage and find his father. The similarities to OFHAF are all in character and voice – and by that, I do not mean that Lutzke has written the same character in two books – I am stating that all of the elements that made the previous (for me) book so wonderful to read, are here in abundance.
We join Levi, a teenager with a skull for a face. Lutzke doesn’t go into the how or why of the “deformation” – it’s not important to the story. Take it as an outward sign of individualism, like a cleft lip, or a facial birthmark – it is an integral part of his psychological profile – and I have to say, Chad, Levi is a remarkable young man. That he deals with his physical difference with so much empathy, that he understands other people’s reactions to him – though sometimes unjustified – he adapts to their perceptions of him, by presenting himself as he is – honest, sympathetic, endearing. He’s just this wonderful kid dealing with the cards he got dealt at an early age, and a universal mimicry of his outlook on life would enrich the world.
There’s so much to love in this book – Levi’s honesty and good nature bring out the best in people – he calls out bad behavior despite the danger of doing so. He meets truly good people – I loved the truck driver, Chad. What a wonderful person to have in our lives – one of those characters that you know you aren’t going to forget, just as Levi won’t.
I want to tell you all about the characters he meets, but I get that this journey is important to experience as Levi does. There are moments of laugh-out-loud situations. There’s danger, kindness, pride, and love. This is a book about finding yourself. I was totally enthralled. It is an example of a book that you never wanted to end, but the ending is so good, you are so happy you got there, that you just want to start again. Which is why I dived straight onto the next Lutzke book.
Chad, you are a treasure. This was such a high point of my Easter holidays this year.
Thanks, mate.
5 out of 5⭐‘s
You can buy Skullface Boy, by clicking on the appropriate Amazon link, below:
You can visit Chad's website, HERE.
You can find Chad on Facebook, HERE.
You can find Chad on Instagram, HERE.
You can find Chad on Twitter, HERE.
You can find Chad on TikTok, HERE.
You can find Chad on YouTube, HERE.
