‘The Imaginary’ is a curious book; intended for children, but definitely one that adults will love.
It tells the story of Amanda Shuffleup and her imaginary friend, Rudger. Amanda, an only child, has a vivid imagination and her utter belief in the existence of Rudger was great fun to read. At times, she is very self-absorbed and her behaviour towards Rudger was almost cruel. She shows little regard for his feelings, and this was a fascinating look at how children make sense of their world.
One day the sinister Mr Bunting appears at Amanda’s door. He has caught the scent of Rudger and needs to feed off him in order to keep alive. This character is more than little creepy, but in the ‘Coraline’ sense rather than out and out scary. As Mr Bunting and his own imaginary friend pursue Rudger, we witness some fairly harrowing events.
For me, one of the most satisfying parts of the experience was looking at the illustrations by Emily Gravett. They perfectly complement the events and ideas within the novel, and make us address our own fears about growing older and losing the people important to us.