Calvin

I experienced so many emotions reading “Calvin”. I’d give it ten stars if I could. Mere words cannot describe how thoroughly I enjoyed this book! Though I’ve never read but a scant few Calvin and Hobbes comics over the years, my son grew up with them. He’s creeping up on forty now ... a husband and father with a nice home and profession, but his face still lights up, and I get a kick from the sheer joy it brings, when he picks up a book and reads from one of Watterson’s collections. So, when I found “Calvin” on the shelf of my local Dollar Tree store and read the jacket, I felt I was onto something, but OMG ... I couldn’t concentrate on anything else, and read every free minute until finished. I understand the many fans of Calvin and Hobbes mourned the day Watterson walked away from his craft. Martine Leavitt weaves a tale about a young man named Calvin with a mental illness who believes his only cure is another Calvin story ... so much of his life mirrored the antics of THE Calvin, so who can blame him for thinking Watterson could cure him, given that Calvin had so much in common with the fictional character?! Throughout the book Leavitt successfully had me guessing about what parts were real and what was not. So frustrating! I know nothing of schizophrenia but this book gave me a glimpse into that world. So with a box of Kleenex nearby, I prepared myself for the ending ... p.s. I first read Calvin in 2020 and recently gave a copy to both of my adult children. And then I got the bug, and read it again. Love it still❣️