The Boy Who Lost His Face (1997) - Plot & Excerpts
The best attribute of Louis Sachar's writing style, as I see it, is the easy fluidity with which he creates. To read his stories, one might think that writing is a snap, and that anyone could do it just as well as he; however, I'm sure that a great deal of energy and care must go into the molding of every paragraph that he produces. The kind of realistic narrative voice that Louis Sachar achieves again and again is an example of high art. What is the nature of a curse, and how does it tie in with the quintessence of personal guilt? That is the pressing question batted around between the covers of The Boy Who Lost His Face. When David goes along with a couple of kids with whom he wants to become friends as they pull a mean trick on an elderly woman and steal her walking cane, David knows that he has done wrong, even though he wasn't really an active participant in the malicious mischief. The curse that the woman, named Mrs. Bayfield, calls out after David as he dashes off only strengthens the feelings of guilt that continue to peck at him. Before long, strange things begin happening to David, things that seem to mirror the specific torments that his "friends" had inflicted upon the poor old woman, and David can't help but think about the curse that was spoken by Mrs. Bayfield as he departed her house. Could his string of bad luck really be connected to the wrongs that he committed against the old woman? Does a logic-minded boy like David really believe in the idea of hexes and curses, and think that Mrs. Bayfield could actually be a witch who is now helping herself to a serving of revenge at David's expense? As David tries to figure out what's really going on he continues to struggle with the guilt of his actions, even though most of what happened to Mrs. Bayfield was not directly done by him. Louis Sachar shows us the inner workings of a kid in moral conflict, not truly sure how much blame he deserves to shoulder, but knowing deep down that he is not blameless for the actions of others that he condoned simply by his inactive presence. It's these issues of guilt that David wrestles with the most, leading him to realize that what he should really do is go back to Mrs. Bayfield's house and offer a sincere apology for his part in what was done to her. For the same reason behind his spectatorial indifference when his "friends" committed their unkindness in the first place, though, David knows that he won't go back and speak to Mrs. Bayfield. He lacks the courage of such proactive intervention, which has really been his biggest problem all along. He's not a bad person; he's just trapped within the confines of his own fears. As David comes closer and closer to finding out the full truth behind Mrs. Bayfield and the curse that it becomes more and more apparent she must have put on him, the particulars of his situation all seem to rise together to present a challenge: he must stand up to defend his integrity and the honor of his friends and family, or be destined to forever take the coward's way out, and "lose face" in every tough situation that confronts him for the rest of his life. It takes just such as in-your-face challenge as this to reveal to David, ultimately, what his true colors can be if he were to ever step up and take a solid stand. Always compelling, the characters that Louis Sachar has created in The Boy Who Lost His Face bring challenges to the forefront that everyone who reads the book has faced, and will face, many times in their lives. The question of whether or not David will stand up to the bullying and manipulation of others is answered in these one hundred ninety-nine pages, but what will we do when faced with our own guilt, or with a wrong that it is in our power to right? The answer to these questions belongs individually to each and every reader, and the choice of how we respond is always ours to make.The Boy Who Lost His Face is a good, solid story, fast-moving and with some moments of warmth as well as humor. I would give it two and a half stars.
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis SacharPublisher: YearlingPublication Date: April 15, 1997Rating: 4 starsSource: Copy sent by the publisherSummary (from Goodreads):David is only trying to be cool when he helps some of the popular kids steal Old Lady Bayfield’s cane. But when the plan backfires, he’s the one the “old witch” curses. Now David can’t seem to do anything right. The cool kids taunt him and his only friends are freaks. He even walks into Spanish class with his fly unzipped! And when he finally gets up the nerve to ask out a cute girl, his pants fall down in midsentence. Is it the Bayfield curse at work? Or is David simply turning into a total loser?What I Liked:This review is going to be very abridged! Like a mini-review. David is a young boy in middle school, who is friends with Scott. Except Scott wants to hang out with the cool kids (Randy and Roger), and David isn't quite cool enough to hang out with them. The boys decide to steal an old lady's cane from her, and the old lady places a curse on David! Suddenly everything is going wrong - David breaks his parents' bedroom window, his fly is never zipped, his pants fall down, he spills flour everywhere. Meanwhile, his "friends" make fun of him and completely push him out of their circles, and David makes two new friends. But will the curse ever be lifted?This is Middle Grade, if you couldn't tell or didn't know! I haven't read a Middle Grade book in a long time, but I've enjoyed them in the past. I read Holes at least ten years ago, and loved it! This book was great as well.I loved that the author hit so many issues that a kid in middle school would experience: fitting in, liking a girl, being awkward, dealing with younger siblings, growing up, learning good things and bad things. So many great topics Sachar hit in this book, which is pretty great. It takes me back to when I was in middle school! I was surprised to see that this was on the banned list, but as I was reading, I had to constantly remind myself that this book is Middle Grade! Not Young Adult or New Adult or Adult. See my discussion of why this book was banned at the bottom of this post! Overall, I liked following David's story. It was cute, funny, and all too real. I know I haven't said much specifically about the characters or plot, but just know that this is definitely a great book to give new teens!What I Did Not Like:This book was adorable! I don't think I have any dislikes at the moment.Would I Recommend It:For new teens, I'd recommend this book! It's very real, yet very humorous. It's also short, less than 200 pages! It was banned (for reasons we shall ignore), but it's definitely something younger teens will enjoy and relate to!Rating:4 stars. Louis Sachar is such a well-known and talented children's author, so it doesn't surprise me that I liked this book! I wish I had read it as a kid, it was published a few years after I was born! I did read Holes as a kid, and I liked that book a lot.
What do You think about The Boy Who Lost His Face (1997)?
David helps some boys from his school steeal a cane from Mrs. Bayfield, and old woman who the boys say is a witch. David doesn't feel comfortable stealing from an old woman, he just wants to be "cool". David has always been teased and he never stands up for himself. The boys steal the cane and Mrs. Bayfield shouts some gibberish at David which he believes is a curse. Soon after David starts to have a lot of bad luck, from dropping viles in science class to his pants falling down in front of the girl he likes when he finally gets the courage to talk to her. He starts to "lose face". His only explanation for this series of unfortunate events is the curse. His solution: Get the cane back and returning it to Mrs. Bayfield. David realizes that he must start standing up for himself. He asks for the cane back from the boys but they refuse. He ends up fighting the boys for the cane and getting it to Mrs. Bayfield who turns out not to be a witch at all.In the end, he befriends Mrs. Bayfield and becomes more confident in himself.Passage:"I have no face, he thought.He had thought about what Larry had said about losing face. If I had a face, I would just go up to Tori Williams and talk to her and tell her how I feel. If I had a face, I wouldn't let roger and his friendspush me around. I would have never gone with them to steal Mrs. Bayfield's cane. I would have stood up for her and told them to leave her alone. I would have told her I was sorry instead of giving her the finger. I have a finger, but I don't have a face."In this passage, Luis Sachar enters the characters mind and reveals to the reader david's personality before he gained confidence.I would reccomend this book to anyone who likes stories where the protaganist looks inside themself to beat the odds.
—Javonte Holloway
I really enjoyed this book. Which I shouldn't be surprised at. I like this author a lot. So why can I just trust him to take me on the journey? I don't know. I started reading this at one point, and I stopped after the first chapter. It just seemed like it was going to take me on some sort of magic trip. I should have known better. Sachar is too smart for such nonsense. It's kind of too bad that the book is titled as it is - it's off-putting to me, makes me think of all the silly books I saw as a kid with fantastical titles that are just ways of marketing towards kids. But Sachar makes it work. As always.
—Amber the Human
After reading the book, I personally thought that it was a really interesting book, full of jokes, imagination and twisty turns.The story is about a boy called David who tries to be cool and fits in with the popular boys by doing things, which they tell him to do. One day, the leader of the gang leads them to an old lady’s house. He then makes fun of the lady and decides to steal her snake headed cane. She puts a terrible curse on David. Therefore David keeps on making strange accidents and mistakes that embarrass him greatly…I think you should go and read it because it’s simply a very good book.
—Sally
