Five books about puppets and living dolls

Keith Donohue is the author of five novels, including The Boy Who Drew Monsters (which includes an imaginary friend) and the newly released The Motion of Puppets. One tile on his list of five notable books about puppets and living dolls, as shared at Tor.com:

Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban

The post-apocalyptic world, set in the dark future where England is now Inland, and the language has evolved into this weird phonetic dialect. The moment when Ridley discovers the blackened puppet in the dump is mesmerizing. Of course, the puppet is Punch, from the classic Punch and Judy Show, and he becomes both a powerful way of connecting the mythos of the past with the broken future. What sort of list about puppet books would be complete without the original and freakish Punch? “This here figger his name is Punch which hes the oldes figger there is.” And he’s right. With roots in the 16th-century Italian commedia dell’arte, Mr. Punch made his first recorded appearance in England on May 9, 1662. Imagine, a puppet with a birthday. Better yet, leave it alone.

Read about the other entries on the list.

Riddley Walker is among Philip Gross' favorite writings from the edge of language.

--Marshal Zeringue