Curious Toys

“For fans of Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City, you might enjoy this Chicago mystery. Set in 1915 (22 years after the Chicago's World Fair), Pin is a fourteen-year-old tomboy who runs with a local gang around the Riverview amusement park. When Pin witnesses an unidentified male enter a dark ride with a young girl and leave without her, she feels uneasy then sick, when a girl is found dead at the scene. Determined to discover the killer, Pin finds an unlikely ally in the reclusive artist, Henry Darger, who is still reeling over the death of another young girl, four-year-old Elsie Paroubek. I appreciated the noir feel to this novel and even more so to Hand's attention to detail, as I felt transported into this underbelly of old time Chicago. Hand includes a detailed background on Henry Darger and how this lesser-known artist became a driving force behind this well-crafted story.”

“A gripping mystery set in 1915 Chicago, featuring a teenage girl who passes as a boy and the outsider artist Henry Darger. What made the book so successful for me was the combination of rich historical texture and contemporary concerns. While other authors often have to rely on shorthand and cameos by famous people, Hand is so good at making the period come alive through everyday details, from how many shirts Pin owns to how much it costs to buy a meal. At the same time, the book doesn't shy away from challenging the reader to look at the ways that girls are exploited for pleasure and profit, and how queerness can be a source of both resistance and vulnerability.”