In This Way I Was Saved

This book was really a great surprise that I enjoyed from beginning to end. The premise was interesting, a story told by a boy's imaginary friend, and the author could not have done a better job at capturing this. I was truly amazed that I have never read a book like this one before, so imaginative and creative, and throughout the book the author took me down turns and corners that I was not expecting at all. I thought the writing was wonderful, descriptive but not overdone. The author definitely puts you into the story, and I found myself swept away in some of the scenes where I felt like I was watching a movie more than reading a book. At times it was hard to put this book down, even as I watched my clock inch towards 3:00am. If you are looking for a storyline that is a little different and creative, I thought this one was so good. I hope this author writes more books in the future, because I would read every single one of them.

Brian DeLeeuw's novel immediately grabbed my interest to such an extent that I read it in only a few days. The story line was fresh and somewhat complex, but that just added to the allure of the book. It was hard to believe this was his first book and I eagerly await his next one.

I was really surprised I liked the novel IN THIS WAY I WAS SAVED so much. When I first started reading the book and discovered Daniel does not have a corporal presence outside of his "friend" Luke I was afraid the novel would be too surreal and ambiguous for my taste. However the book is so fast moving and convincingly written that I could barely put it down until I reached the ending which I found perfect and chilling. The story is set in the very often used environment of privileged Manhatton. In part one we meet Luke as he meets Daniel and both are presented as six years old. Luke invites Daniel home and we soon find Luke's parents are divorcing and Luke's mother who has inherited a publishing house that specializes in suspense novels has quite a few emotional issues. Luke and his mom with bodiless Daniel hidden away in a trunk abandon New York City soon after to spend the winter in solitude on deserted Fire Island. There Daniel convinces Luke to do a horrible act which forces Luke's mother to move back to Manhattan and consult a psychiatrist for her son who blames his "imaginary" friend Daniel for misdeeds. Daniel goes in to hiding for twelve years thanks probably to Luke's use of antipsychotic drugs and more stability in his life. Then in part two Luke's mother starts to mentally unravel and Daniel is back asserting control. Daniel's influence really increases in the third part of the book when Luke enrolls at a university that sounds a lot like Princeton. Luke's college experience contains more evil doings and eventual tragedy. I was surprised how many reviewers believe this story is simply one of familial mental illness. I felt that the author strongly implies Daniel is a supernatural being rather than just the product of psychosis. Apparently something in his mother's family history makes Luke more susceptible for such a doppelganger but this is just hinted at and never fully explained. IN THIS WAY I WAS SAVED is an entertaining, thought provoking, read with just the right balance between horror and reality to make it memorable and disturbing.

I have slowed my breathing down; I have willed my heart to stop beating so rapidly. My eyes scan the cover of the novel again and again. I find myself almost obsessively drawn to the shoes and smoke. Who is Daniel? I ask myself. Who is he? Where did he come from? Luke?... I try to begin the review, I tell myself focus, what was In This Way I Was Saved about? I can't stop looking at the cover and thinking: Who is Daniel and what does he mean to each of us? Luke is a sick little boy, or is he? In the beginning Daniel is not necessarily timid but easy going, Daniel is a way for a small mind to cope with his father's departure. Later the bond grows sick and twisted. With the death of Luke's dog Midnight Daniel is regulated to a caged existence inside of Luke's skull. Kept there with little yellow pills and mounds of mental discipline. On the eve of another one of Luke's mother's breakdowns the shackles are released and Daniel is one again free to roam alongside his best friend and keeper. What follows is confusion, murder, drugs, depression, sex, and finally self-realization in a crystallized moment from a six year old boy. Who is Daniel? It is hard to see Luke as he truly is. The reader honestly has no idea how he feels except for the few insightful glimpses we are given through Daniel's eyes. Does he know he is sick? Truly sick? Is Daniel some tagalong ghost or the just an imaginary friend used to cope with the harsh reality that sane people find sometimes too much to handle? The answer is I don't know and no one will unless you are Daniel or you know him intamitely. Brian DeLeeuw is a riveting, fascinating author who uses minced words and revulsion of the human race and their pathetic existence to give Daniel a voice. This is a true novel and I recommend it to anyone looking for an extraordinary view on reality and living.

Every once in awhile a book comes along that grabs you from the very first paragraph. IN THIS WAY I WAS SAVED by Brian DeLeeuw is THAT kind of book, to the tenth degree. Main characters Daniel and Luke establish a relationship at the tender age of six years old. They instantly become inseparable and, at times, undistinguishable one from the other. As they grow from child to adult, both battle and manipulate to gain control over their own relationship, as well as their dual relationships with Luke's mother, father and step-sister. It's not rare that a book brings you along on it's journey, but it is very rare the way IN THIS WAY I WAS SAVED gets you so enmeshed in the story and the characters that there are times when you are actually removed from your own reality and into the fiction-reality of the book. The story has fascinating twists and turns, but all the while stays focused on the relationship between Luke and Daniel. It is easy to see how this title might at some point be turned into a major motion picture. Author Brian DeLeeuw has a gift of storytelling, and I already look forward to future titles from this author. Plain and simple. Buy this book. It's worth every penny.