SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY
When Henry goes to visit relatives he hardly knows, he doesn't expect any excitement. If anything, maybe he can finally live a life as a normal boy. But when he discovers 99 cupboards hidden under the plaster in his attic room, he and his cousin get into trouble.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Henry is really quiet and reserved. It's eventually revealed that he has been sheltered his whole life and his parents are work-a-holics.
Fred is Henry's uncle. He can be quiet and knows when to leave his nephew be. But he also tends to share philosophical ideas that can be kind of confusing.
Henrietta is the cousin closest to Henry's age.
Dotty is Henry's aunt. She can be blunt and humorous but is also rather caring.
Anastasia and Penelope are both blunt and energetic. They are not in the story a lot until the climax.
Zeke is a local boy who eventually befriends Henry when he invites him to play baseball.
Nimiane is creepy witch who wants to rule everyone and has no qualms about killing children.
PACING
The pacing of the book is slower. But being as this is the first in a series, I expect it had to set the scene and introduce the characters. Although we don't get it all at once. We don't even know why Henry is visiting Kansas to see his relatives at first.
HENRY'S SCARE
Henry has grown up really sheltered his whole life. And this is emphasized by his reactions to one cupboard opening. He feels sick and throws up. I just felt this was kind of over done.
I kept having to be told how weak Henry was. We even get a scene where Henry remembers a girl was bullied and he did nothing about it. I just wish there were less remembering and more witnessing his cowardice. So when he overcame it things would feel more rewarding.
I mean, he recalls his cowardice only after saving Henrietta from the cupboard and getting attacked. So he already showed his ability to be brave. So why the remembering of his past faults now when he already showed he could change?
THRILLS & CHILLS
There are some scary scenes, or scenes where you just think, “Oh, no! Now what?” or “What the heck was that?” These were my favorite scenes and I wish there were more of them.
There was the scene where Henry saves his unconscious cousin; Where Henry gets his knife back only to discover it's tied to a bell; Where Henry awakens to plaster falling on his head.
Where Henry and Henrietta try to escape a terrifying memory where a room of people are murdered; Where Henry realizes his rope that leads him back to home has been cut off.
All of these scenes got me excited and anxious and quite frankly I wish there were more of them. It would have helped with the slower pacing.
HENRIETTA'S REACTION
Henry pulls out Henrietta's arm, thereby saving the unconscious girl and getting hurt and attacked in the process. It was probably one of the most tense scenes in the book. Henry became brave in that instant, and his potential to be a hero really showed.
Then Henrietta wakes up, and her reaction was unbelievable. She brushes off his absolute terror and the fact she was knocked out. She says she can't remember what happened.
Henry is furious at her, and rightly so. He tells her she can never come back to his room and use the cupboards. Annoyed, she leaves.
While Henry became a hero, Henrietta instantly became an obnoxious brat. It is vaguely mentioned that she apologizes later. But it didn't undo the damage.
We should have read her words exactly, and got a heartfelt apology and a hearty thank you for saving her from being dragged into God knows where. But the lack of time spent on her apology makes it seem like she still doesn't comprehend what happened.
HENRY'S PARENTS-SPOILERS
In the beginning of the book, we learn that Henry's parents are missing. A normal child would be sick with worry, not able to relax or focus on any normal activities. But it's gradually revealed that his parents are work-a-holics and all overly protective of him. To the point of it being not just unhealthy but strange.
But lots of parents work full time and see their kids too little. And in an economy where both parents are expected to work, that's kind of the norm now a days. Most kids don't even realize there was a time where mother's considered raising their children to be their only job..
So I just didn't understand why he disliked them to the point of not really caring that they could be dead. It's not like they physically abused him or something.
ELI & HENRIETTA
When Henrietta's goes off alone to find the intruder, she ends up meeting a cranky man named Eli. He doesn't tell her much and their interaction is awkward. Henrietta tries to be funny but just comes off as obnoxious. I didn't care for either of these characters.
A TAG ALONG
While looking for Henrietta, Henry meets a boy named Richard from a older, perhaps Victorian England. He ends up sneaking along. Eventually the two argue about him staying and I was disappointed to find Richard came off as unlikable too.
He doesn't like his home life but, like Henry, it doesn't sound terrible. He's not living in poverty and getting beat up by his parents or something. So I didn't get why he thought sneaking off to another universe sounded like a great idea. Especially when he witnesses Henry in a dangerous situation.
HUMOR
There are a few part of the story that reveal that Wilson actually has a pretty good sense of humor. Like when he describes how Uncle Frank tries to open the door, or when Dotty explains her conversation about the door to someone. I smiled when Arthur expect a “spiritual experience” from driving without a car seat in Uncle Frank's truck.
Although I wouldn't say the humor plays a large part in the story. It's sparsely used throughout. But sometimes it can come off awkward. Henry gets a letter referring to him as “whimpering child”. This scene would have worked better if Henry was more sarcastic and head a sense of humor himself.
THE MYSTERY OF GRANDFATHER
Turns out Henry's grandfather had a room in the house. But now that he has passed on, his room has been locked and all attempts to open it have failed. Eventually we get to see inside it and learn somethings about him, but this actually leads to more mysteries to be solved.
HENRY'S NIGHT VISITOR
In the beginning of the story, Henry sees a short old man wearing a purple robe. It's in the middle of the night when he gets up to relieve himself, so he might think he is dreaming. But he never mentions it till later, and then for some reason he finds it hard to remember. Like something is blocking his mind.
But it was just kind of confusing, as it is never explained what this block is. And it's not mentioned until much later, so I was left wondering why he didn't bring it up.
WE INTERRUPT THIS STORY...
There is a short paragraph mentioned details about two different people who would know about the cupboards. But then we never talk about it for the rest of the book. It was strange and should have been caught by the editor.
SIDE CHARACTERS
Zeke, is barely in the story. He is merely mentioned playing baseball with Henry. He gets about three lines of dialogue. So he isn't just a side character, but a minor one. Same goes for Henrietta's younger sisters. They don't really have any role to play.
That's why I was confused why they were in the climax. I mean, I guess the girls would be in the house or around when the witch came. But why Zeke? He didn't even have a personality.
At least the girls came off as annoying and obtrusive. Although the only thing bordering on a relationship is when Henry tells Penny he doesn't' want to go back to Boston. Otherwise, they don't interact.
And the girls do serve a purpose, as Dotty tells them about how she met Frank. So basically we get a history lesson we otherwise would not have.
HENRIETTA NEEDS HELP?
Eventually Henry has to go after Henrietta when she goes missing. But she is so dumb, I actually thought she just ran off without Henry. Why wouldn't she, after all? But Henry surmises that she was taken. I understand this is used to force Henry to be brave again, like the last time, but I didn't even care about Henrietta by then. She still hadn't redeemed herself in my book.
CLIMAX
Henry finds Henrietta. The witch Nimiane shows up in Henry's house while he is gone. The younger sisters and Zeke try to protect themselves and Dotty. Henry returns home and discovers that the witch has been dealt with and someone has been looking for him.
CONCLUSION
The story is original and Henry is a sympathetic character. There is enough mystery to make the reader wish to learn more, and enough revelations that create a hope that more is to come.
But the pacing is slow and characters that have no personality or any real relationships with the main character end up having a crucial role in a climax. And it feels like Henry should star in it instead. Also, I couldn't understand Henry's feelings toward his parents and Henrietta never redeems herself.
I give “100 Cupboards” three stars.
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