Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend

I encountered this book by extreme chance. I was in the library looking for something to read and I saw this. I read the first few pages, and just knew I had to get my hands on it.

This is a book that changes lives. It changes your way of thinking about daily things as well as how you view children. Children are amazing individuals who have the ability to imagine many things and so many people take them for granted.

The diction in the book is absolutely exquisite. Budo, the narrator, speaks likes he's way beyond his years, but his language and phrasing is that of a child. Somehow it works, it's beautiful and you wish you could write even a smidge as well as Matthew Green.

The characters are so well-written that sometimes you forget the main characters are actually children. They are well-rounded and mature wonderfully over the novel that you can't help but love them. Each character has a personality and story to tell.

It was interesting to see that Max has Asperger's Syndrome (if I read the symptoms correctly.). These kinds of disorders are rarely found in novels, and if they are, it's not approached in the right manner. In Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend, it's approached in a personal manner, which is always pleasant to read as I can relate to the autistic spectrum.

Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend is not just a story about a boy and his imaginary friend. It's a story about sacrifice and commitment and friendship and bravery. It's all the little things that shine through moments that make you wipe your eyes and thrust your fist in the air and everything in between.

This book is filled with good and bad parts. It's filled with parts that touch your heart and parts that make you shiver when you realise how smart kids actually are. This book is not about a child. It's about how a person can be brave.

Absolutely poignant and sweet, Budo is the kind of friend, imaginary or not, that everybody should have. Actually, since he has doubts about his own selfishness and loyalty, he is even more real than some flesh and blood friends.
Max is an 8 year old with autistic behavior and the oldest imaginary friend, since he needs him by his side. He also has parents who disagree about how to deal with him, not that he notices or cares, and all kinds of teachers...
and the day a real situation arises, Budo is the guy you want by your side.

What a heartwarming book. Written from the POV of an imaginary friend, it brought me back to my childhood. It's an excellent book, and a great choice if you're looking for something “different”.