I think more novels should have pictures. Wait, maybe I don't think that. There is something to be said about letting your imagination determine how high a hill is or whether a character's hair is light or dark brown. On the other hand, sometimes my brain is so concentrated on the story that a picture is helpful. Well, while the debate slogs along in my muddled head, I will say that Ian Schoenherr's black-and-white drawings add a lot to the suspense and mystery of THE APOTHECARY. Most of the illustrations lurk in the background of the chapter ends and beginnings, but there is one full-page spread that hits you in the gut.
Janie, our heroine, begins the story in sunny California, where her parents are screenwriters in Hollywood. But it's the 1950s, her parents are suspected of being Communists, and so the family flees to cold war-ravaged London. Janie's parents are happy working on a BBC production of Robin Hood, but Janie has a little more trouble adjusting.
Then she meets Benjamin, son of the apothecary whose shop is near Janie's flat. The two of them quickly become involved in a dangerous mystery. Because I had no idea where the story was going, I won't say anything else about the plot for fear of being spoilery. But I enjoyed the unexpected (for me) twists and adventures and the surprising new friends.
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