Book #52: "The Return of the Indian"

The sequel to "The Indian in the Cupboard", and its tone is much...not darker, exactly, though I think the tone of this series does get darker with every volume. More dramatic, perhaps, and more about the impact that the premise (being transported from one world to another) can have on every life that's involved.

This book introduces Matron, who is possibly my favorite character in the series, and also an incredible bit of writing in one small paragraph. I haven't quoted much from the books, but there is no better way to share this than verbatim.

(But before that, a quick aside on spoilers. I have done my level best to avoid discussing plots and whatnot, since part of my purpose in doing this is that someone will be interested enough to read what I have read. But there has to be some kind of...statute of limitations, right? This book was published thirty years ago. I am not going to apologize. So there. End of aside.)

Anyway, here is that moment:

"The bag was there. And the uniform, neatly folded, with the orderly's cap upside down on top of the pile. And the boots. And the puttees, the khaki bandages they wore around their legs in that war. Neatly rolled, inside the cap. Nothing else."

This, if you haven't figured it out, describes what happens when Omri puts a plastic figure in the cupboard whose real-life historical counterpart has passed away. And I have shared it for two reasons. One, this is really the moment where the story begins to delve into the realism and depth of this concept-that the toys are merely the vessel used to bring these actual people into Omri's life. And two, that visual (and the niftily-executed metaphor contained therein) is stunning.

Author: Lynne Reid Banks

Potentially objectionable content: This is by far the most violent book in the series, and places the primary characters in more physical and emotional peril than before