Books › The Game
The Game
179 pages
A lonely girl discovers her sprawling, chaotic family plays a magical game that blurs the lines between reality and ancient myth.
What it feels like
Reading this novella feels like stepping out of a sterile, quiet room into a bustling, sunlit house full of shouting cousins and hidden magic. The narrative moves at a brisk, engaging clip, propelled by the sheer chaotic energy of a sprawling family and the unfolding mystery of the mythosphere. The prose is crisp, wry, and entirely unsentimental, treating cosmic mythological shifts with the same matter-of-fact tone as a squabble over a spilled cup of tea. It balances a dreamy, mythic atmosphere with the grounded reality of childhood isolation and the sudden, overwhelming joy of finding where you belong. It is a perfect, bite-sized delight for anyone who loves their fantasy laced with sharp observations, ancient gods, and the boisterous charm of a deeply unconventional family.
- Mood
- boisterous
- dreamy
- mythic
- chaotic
- Tone
- wry
- matter-of-fact
- whimsical
- observant
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- finding belonging in chaos · the living nature of myth · escaping isolation · family secrets
- The writing
- Crisp and unsentimental, the narrative grounds wildly imaginative, cosmic concepts in the relatable bickering of a large, boisterous family.
- The arc
- The protagonist moves from a state of lonely, bewildered isolation into a vibrant, overwhelming realization of her own mythic heritage and familial belonging.
- Who it's for
- Fans of classic, slightly prickly British fantasy who delight in chaotic family dynamics and mythology bleeding into the everyday world.
Content notes
- parental abandonment
- emotional neglect by guardians
About the book
Hayley’s parents disappeared when she was a baby. Since then, she has been raised and homeschooled by her grandparents. Grandad is overworked and travels a lot; Grandma is much too strict and never lets her meet any children her own age. When Hayley does something wrong—she is not quite sure what—they pack her off to her aunts in Ireland. To Hayley’s shock, her family is much bigger than she thought; to her delight, the children all play what they call “the game,” where they visit a place called “the mythosphere.” And while she plays the game, Hayley learns more about her own place in the world than she had ever expected.
Description from Open Library.
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