‘The Vile Village’ by Lemony Snicket: ‘Not for the faint of heart’

‘The Vile Village’ is the seventh installment of Lemony Snicket’s ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’. It’s the adventure of the three Baudelaire orphans, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, as they find their new home and escape the clutches of Count Olaf, who has been trying to get his hands on the enormous fortune that was left by their parents.

This book is not for the faint of heart. It’s not your typical children’s book with all the rainbows and sunshine. After seven books, the Baudelaires have been abandoned and lives were lost. They have been sent from one foster home to another, and this time not just one family is going to look after them, but an entire village. Would the village be welcoming? Can they finally find peace in their new home? Will they finally find their new home? And will Count Olaf and his accomplices finally be thrown to jail? Or will justice once again be elusive?

Their story is too much to bear, yet addicting. You want to stop, but you want to know what’s going to happen next.

If you don’t like sad stories or unfortunate events involving children, then don’t bother reading this book. But, if you’d like to know what’s going to happen next, just keep on reading.

— The reader is based in Dubai.