Actual story or overactive imagination?

March 15, 2008 8:55 PM

What's the title of a book my boyfriend read when he was 10 years old (early nineties)?

All he remembers is there is a boy in a house and a day spent in the house equals to a year outside the house. It is also Christmas every day in the house. One gift the boy asks for is a small wood replica of Noah's Ark which he received a previous Christmas but either lost or destroyed.

He's had no luck with Google and is starting to doubt if this book actually exists!

posted by kitkatcathy to Media & Arts (5 answers total)

It's by Clive Barker - The Thief of Always.
posted by brookedel at 9:27 PM on March 15, 2008

This sounds like the sort of story William Sleator would write, but I don't see anything that matches exactly. Have your boyfriend read over these synopses of Sleator novels and see if any of them ring a bell.
posted by suckerpunch at 9:36 PM on March 15, 2008

(Oh. Shoulda used preview there.)
posted by suckerpunch at 9:36 PM on March 15, 2008

suckerpunch: the book you are thinking about is indeed by William Sleator, and is called "Singularity". That was my first thought as well, but that book has nothing to do with Christmas or Noah's Art. It does deal with slowing down time though.

Kitkatcathy: if your bf liked The Thief of Always, chances are he'd like Singularity as well.
posted by ruwan at 6:21 AM on March 16, 2008

Bingo brookedel! That's exactly the story he's looking for. He's always seeking book suggestions so will definitely check out Sleator/Singularity as well.
posted by kitkatcathy at 7:55 AM on March 16, 2008