The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet is Reif Larsen‘s first novel. [Here’s my review of the move adaptation.]

Plot:
T.S. is a scientist, despite his young years. He draws maps and illustrations. For that, he is supposed to be honored at the Smithsonian. Only that they don’t know that he is only 12 years old. Since T.S.’s family life is complicated – his mother and fellow scientist is completely occupied with her work, his father is a cowboy and farmer who doesn’t really know how to connect to T.S., his sister Gracie s an overdramatic teenager dreaming of an acting career and his little brother Layton just died – he decides to travel to the Smithsonian on his own to receive his award. But crossing practically an entire continent from the West to the East is not easily done.

The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet was a nice read with a weird ending. I really liked reading it up until the last 70 pages, give or take.

I hadn’t actually planned to read this book – I thought it would be one of those cases where I’d watch the movie and that would be enough. But then I was at the bookstore (always dangerous) and picked it up. And with one glance I knew I wanted to read it after all. Because there were illustrations and notes in the margins of the pages – and I’m an absolute sucker for books that play with layout and typeset like that.

And it did pay off that I read it, even though I wouldn’t say that you necessarily have to – maybe the film is enough after all. Of course, the film is different from the book, but the heart remains the same and a few of the changes from the book are actually for the better – like the ending that was less out there and completely Secret Society-free and less concentrated on the daddy issues and more on parents/family issues in the film than in the book.

Other things were better in the book, of course. Especially the fact that it was much less polished. Less easy, less decisive when it came to morals. In the book you could have the truck driver be nice to T.S. and be a raging racist. In the film, he had to be nice to everyone. (Plus, I just did not understand why they would make Layton T.S.’ twin for the film.)

But despite my misgivings about the ending in the book, I did enjoy it. I was very touched by it, T.S. is a wonderfully sweet character and the entire gadget with his maps and drawings and notes worked perfectly.

Summarizing: it’s a good read. But the film is good, too.