Book Review: The Last Stitch Goes Through the Nose by Moses Norton!

Just like my last two book reviews, in January I reviewed a book called The Last Stitch Goes Through the Nose. This wasn’t a book from one of the authors who give me ARCs of their books, but rather, it is a book written by awesome fellow blogger Moses Norton aka The Well-Red Mage! I wanted to support his efforts, so I purchased his book and left him a review!

Here’s the blurb for the book:

Who is the Scissor-man? Nobody cares, nobody sees, except for one little boy. This debut literary fantasy novella takes a hard look at society and its outcasts through the eyes of youth.

In a world where death is ignored, a child named Orasi becomes fascinated with the Scissor-man, the homeless mortician and a man around whom local legends have been developed by well-meaning parents to frighten children into obedience. After he finds a black thread in the snow belonging to the Scissor-man, Orasi begins to unravel the myth and folklore surrounding this horrifying figure, and his journey of discovery brings him closer than ever to the father he barely knew. Orasi must fight against new feelings he has never confronted before, trying to make sense of the state of his family and the state of his village. But the world is a place that has already decided its rules. New feelings can be punished. His is just one beating heart among millions who are already dead, and Orasi may not like what he finds in the end…

The Last Stitch Goes Through The Nose tests its characters to see if they are still breathing, and it might reach out to see if you are, too. Not exactly social commentary and not exactly pure fantasy, The Last Stitch encourages you to do the forbidden: think and feel before it is too late. It is perfect for any reader who isn’t too grown up yet, or the reader who suspects they can still see through the eyes of a child.

And here’s the cover:

Here’s what I wrote for my review:

I have been keeping up with Moses Norton, aka The Well Red Mage, on his blog for a few years now; therefore I was happy to read his first novel, The Last Stitch Goes Through The Nose!

The main character in this story is a boy named Orasi. At the start of the tale, his mother keeps calling him away from the window. He doesn’t listen, because he wants a glimpse of the terrifying Scissor-Man.

The town of Reicbough, where Orasi lives, needs the Scissor-Man “only out of necessity.” You see, the Scissor-Man is a mortician and grave digger, and the people of Reicbough are very uncomfortable with the thought of death. They would prefer not to talk about it, not to think about it, and pretty much pretend death is not a natural part of life.

Orasi is a curious boy, however, and struggles with many emotions throughout this book- mainly sadness and frustration at the way people act and react to different situations. He begins to pity the Scissor-Man and the way people treat him.

The turn this story takes at the end is very depressing, and what happened was just so… unnecessary. It made people finally start to recognize death and remember those who have passed on, but it just goes to show how uncomfortable people can be with those things they don’t fully understand.

I really enjoyed this book, though it didn’t leave me with happy feelings when I was done reading it!

I gave The Last Stitch Goes Through the Nose 5/5 stars on Goodreads!