I first saw "Olive's Ocean" on a bookshelf in a sixth-grade classroom and felt intrigued by it. But with whatever task I had at hand, I soon forgot about it. Years later, I remembered the book, looked it up and decided to read it, even though it was technically a children's book and I was already in college.
Absolutely worth it. Brilliant. Beautiful.
The book is centered around Martha Boyle, a twelve year-old girl whose life experiences a significant turn with a note from a former classmate and a family trip to Cape Cod. Martha knew Olive Barstow, and even though they weren't really friends, she was still shocked when she heard that Olive had been hit by a car and died. She is reminded of, and further jarred by, the incident when Olive's mother comes to her with a page from Olive's journal. From this entry, Martha discovered that Olive wanted three things: she wanted to be friends with Martha, to visit the ocean and to be a writer.
When Martha gets to Cape Cod, she is confronted with family problems and a crush on Jimmy Manning, one of the five Manning boys who visit the same area as Martha's family every summer. During her visit, Martha grows especially close to her grandmother Godbee, and tells her all about the feelings she won't tell anyone else in her family about. All the while, she thinks about Olive, and finds inspiration in her.
Martha wants to be a writer too, and hopes to tell the rest of her family before school starts back. She does quite a bit of growing up as the story progresses, and the way Henkes captures these particular moments in Martha's life is absolutely beautiful. He shows us what it is like to be a twelve year-old on the cusp of puberty and the middle child stuck in a sometimes complicated family. Henkes also paints a wonderfully accurate picture of how it feels to like someone at such a young age, and how intimidating it can be to realize what you want to be in life so young, and in the middle of such changes.
Even though Olive does not have any actual dialogue, her character is manifested in the story in such a way that gives powerful insight into the pain experienced by kids who are bullied and left out. Olive was the new kid, an outsider, and was treated as so from her first day at school until the day she died, just a few months later. She is portrayed as a lonely, quiet young girl who was afraid to speak up. One of her next-door neighbors even called her a "Lonely Little Olive Pit", because she never had any friends to play with. Martha often heard and saw people making fun of Olive, but she never chose to speak up. She feels so close to Olive with the page from her journal, yet so far as she realizes Olive is truly gone, and she will never be able to be her friend or figure out why Olive wanted to be hers. It makes me think a lot about the book "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher, except that "Thirteen Reasons Why" deals with teenagers, and "Olive's Ocean" is centered mostly around a twelve year-old.
I read online that "Olive's Ocean" was a banned and challenged book for years. While I understand that death and bullying are heavy topics to read about, that doesn't mean we should prevent kids (and even adults) from reading about them. Yes, I wouldn't recommend that a seven year-old read this book unless they are very mature, considering that there is a little bit of strong language and just one sexual reference. But you're probably fine reading this from the fifth grade up. The strong language is actually pretty brief, and the sexual reference is so brief I can barely remember it, so it's hard to see why this book was so challenged for so long.
Going back to the book itself, I'm amazed at how Henkes paints such an intricate portrait of the life of an adolescent girl through such simple language. Perhaps my point of view is conditioned by the fact that I read this book at nineteen instead of eleven. But looking back on my own life when I was twelve, I find that the snapshots of this age given to us by Henkes are heartbreakingly lucid. Martha feels left out of, and often overwhelmed by, her own family. Her younger sister is constantly in need of care and attention, while her older brother is a rambunctious thirteen year-old who nearly always gets his way. Their parents have some troubles in the story, and Martha wonders at one point whether her father is tired of their family and just wants to leave them all. She wants to hide her feelings for Jimmy Manning from everyone except Godbee, knowing there is a risk that her brother will mess something up. All the while, Martha thinks about writing, and starts a novel inspired by Olive, as she confronts the question of what it means to be a writer and to have feelings for an older boy.
During her trip to Cape Cod, Martha becomes braver and more determined to write her novel and be kinder to others. She also finds out what true heartache is like, especially at the story's climax, when she learns that Olive is truly gone, and there is nothing she can do to help that. Martha wants Olive to know the ocean, so she brings her some salt water inside an empty jar of baby food to give to Olive's mother. But when she goes to Olive's house after her trip, she finds that Mrs. Barstow has moved away. The only witness to Martha's tribute is their neighbor, who recalls Olive's loneliness with great clarity. It comes to show that, while giving gifts to the dead can help us to heal and become better people, it is best to give everyone the respect they deserve while they are still alive. We should treat everyone kindly, no matter what others say. And we should embrace our dreams and share them with others, because you never know when you'll find someone who has the same dream as you.
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Thursday, July 30, 2015
#18: The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
As a long-time fan of romantic stories, I have been drawn to the work of Nicholas Sparks ever since I saw "The Notebook" for the first time. I had never picked up one of his novels, however, until I saw the preview for "The Best of Me", and decided that I should read the book first. (I usually do read the book first, but in the case of the Nicholas Sparks movies I have seen, I ended up seeing the movie first instead.) I felt like it would be a great book, fulfilling and very well-written, seeing as how he's been so successful and has had 1) many books published, and 2) most of those books turned into movies. After reading "The Best of Me", I can say that it wasn't a bad read, but it wasn't exactly the good read I was hoping for either. Keeping in mind how a good friend of mine looks at the story differently, I feel conflicted as to whether I would recommend it or not. Personally, I don't feel motivated to do so. Let me explain, starting with the plot.
The story centers around Dawson Cole and Amanda Collier, who fell in love as teenagers and had the kind of connection most people have only dreamed about. Their relationship was perfect, but their surroundings were highly unideal. Amanda came from a rich family who was abhorred by the idea of her dating someone from the Cole family, which was known for the violence and criminal records of its members. Dawson, however, had always stayed out of trouble, and cultivated both strong physical and emotional attributes. But Amanda's parents couldn't see any of the good things about Dawson, because they hated the idea of her going out with someone with one of the most despised family names in their small town of Oriental, North Carolina.
When Amanda receives the opportunity to attend Duke University, something she had dreamed about ever since she was young, her parents declare that they won't pay for college, or support her in the least bit, if she keeps up her relationship with Dawson. Amanda tells Dawson about her problem, and he decides to let her go, not because he wants to, but because he wants Amanda to have this opportunity to grow, make her dreams come true, and be happy. They eventually both leave Oriental, but for separate cities, thinking they might never see each other again. Little did they know that the death of old man Tuck, a mutual friend and huge support for them both, would bring them together again about twenty years later, for just a few days that would change the courses of both their lives permanently.
It took me several chapters to realize that the story had several striking similarities to "The Notebook". The rich girl meets poor boy romance. The stubborn mother with an iron fist, but not enough control to stop her daughter from making these escapades with the boy she hates. The parting of ways as boy and girl try to escape the situations they dislike, but separate from each other along the way. Don't get me wrong, I love "The Notebook" and plan to watch it many more times in the years to come. But there were several characters and plot points that just confused me, or made me feel extremely dissatisfied with the story, and sometimes both things at once.
(NOTE: I haven't read the novel "The Notebook", so unfortunately I have to make these criticisms based on the movie. I have not seen the movie for "The Best of Me", but even if I had, I wouldn't be comparing the two films, since I am trying to review a book instead. It doesn't seem entirely fair to compare a book to a movie, but what I am trying to focus on more is the story in and of itself, its characters and the main elements of the plot. Writing style is also important. I apologize for any moment in which the comparisons do not seem just.)
First, there's Amanda's mother, Evelyn Collier. Always dressed to perfection, constantly conflicting with her daughter. Not especially caring or sympathetic, even when Amanda most needed her to be. (NOTE: SPOILER INCOMING. If you don't want to read it, then skip this next part!)
But when Evelyn finds Dawson and Amanda together one morning, clearly knowing what happened between them the previous night, she simply tells Amanda not to listen to anyone else's advice, and instead to listen to her own. While I think that comment by Evelyn is wise, and one of the nicest things she says to Amanda in the entire book, it seems out of place. Evelyn has been judging Amanda ever since she was young, as is explained throughout the book. It's also clear that Evelyn will never stop questioning or judging Amanda's actions and intentions, even when she is doing the right thing. She judges Amanda's marriage, her attitudes about marriage, her attitudes about the child she lost to cancer. Then, all of a sudden, when Evelyn sees her daughter with the guy she's hated, and continued to hate, for years, she tells Amanda not to listen to her advice. Evelyn had always wanted Amanda to listen to her advice, as the author portrays from earlier conflicts regarding Amanda's relationship with Dawson, and there doesn't seem to be any real explanation for Evelyn's change of heart. It's a nice gesture, but not very believable.
Then there's Dawson. He was my favorite character in this book. Strong, empathic, honest, raw, hard-working, perseverant. But, like all characters, he had his flaws. After Amanda had gone off to Duke, he moved to New Orleans and got a job on an oil rig, returning every once in a while to a lonely trailer away from the crowded city. During all his years of living in New Orleans, Dawson never took the time to enjoy any of the city's attractions (ex. Cafe du Monde) or develop any other close relationships, other than the one he maintained with Tuck from a distance. The only significant effort he made to be happy was getting out of Oriental, where his demented and violent family was waiting for the day when they could take him down. Dawson knows how to make people like Tuck and Amanda happy, but it seems like he doesn't make much of an effort to make himself happy. He seems to lack motivation, except when he is reunited with Amanda, which changes him completely.
Earlier in his life, Dawson's strong motivation kept him from being like the rest of his family, and prompted him to build up his strength and run away from home in order to escape his father's cruelty. In a place where his family definitely can't find him, a place for a fresh start, why can't Dawson really start over? Because of Amanda. I understand that she is the love of his life, and he feels that they are meant to be together forever. But having seen Dawson's character shine through in the diverse struggles he experienced, it seems off-putting and disappointing that he would let the mere thought of this woman keep him from even going out to Cafe du Monde. Yes, I can maybe understand that he wouldn't want to see other women (Although twenty-something years is quite a long time not to date when you're his age.) But why not at least enjoy this new place, to the fullest extent that you can?
It does seem that Dawson enjoys physical exercise, as is portrayed by the description of his early morning jogs when he finally goes back to Oriental. But these are momentary distractions for a person who is deeply unhappy. And maybe here is where I get to the idea that most bothers me: that someone as smart and cultivated and romantic as Dawson Cole ends up unhappy with his life just because he can't forget about a girl he loved as a teenager (who, by the way, got married shortly after finishing college, to a guy she had dated since sophomore year.) Does this girl think about him? Absolutely yes. She thinks she made a mistake not to marry him. But in the end, she chooses the less risky and less satisfying path of staying married to her husband, instead of going for what she really wants. The book even seems to insinuate that maybe Amanda did make the right decision (BIG SPOILER COMING), since her son Jared's life is saved when he receives a heart donation from, guess who...Dawson Cole, who was shot by one of his crazy family members while trying to save two innocent people from getting shot. The most genuinely kind character in the book gets shot by violent loonies, while his true love's son (not his son, of course) is saved by his heart. And herein lies the irony of the story: Dawson truly gave the best of himself to Amanda, by giving the heart with which he loved her always to her dying son. He "lives on" in Jared's body, while Amanda is left to wonder "What if?", and the reader is guilt-stricken, wondering if Amanda's son would have died had she chosen Dawson in the end. How can that kind of choice ever turn out right?
And how, for that matter, can you leave your reader thinking about how such a wonderful person wound up shot in the head while his true love drove off to see her drunk husband, who was one of the reasons why Jared almost died? It's frustrating and unfair. Yes, I understand that many stories do not have happy endings. But the final resolution did not prompt me to read another Nicholas Sparks novel. I have read many sad books that have prompted me to read them over and over again (see my earlier reviews of books such as Looking For Alaska, Thirteen Reasons Why, The Fault in Our Stars and The Tribes of Palos Verdes) because they have much deeper meanings. I was expecting this novel to have a bit more depth to it, a little more meat, and I was disappointed.
I still plan to see the film version of "The Best of Me", just to see how it turned out. But I'm left highly disappointed by the novel, which also happened to be written in a style that fell below my expectations. I've heard that some of his other books are more well-written, so I might give those a chance. But for now, I'm moving on to other books by other authors. I admire Nicholas Sparks's hard work, and hope to write as many, or more, books than he has one day. But I don't feel inclined to recommend this novel. Perhaps in the future, another one of his novels will be more satisfying. I wait with much hope for that day.
The story centers around Dawson Cole and Amanda Collier, who fell in love as teenagers and had the kind of connection most people have only dreamed about. Their relationship was perfect, but their surroundings were highly unideal. Amanda came from a rich family who was abhorred by the idea of her dating someone from the Cole family, which was known for the violence and criminal records of its members. Dawson, however, had always stayed out of trouble, and cultivated both strong physical and emotional attributes. But Amanda's parents couldn't see any of the good things about Dawson, because they hated the idea of her going out with someone with one of the most despised family names in their small town of Oriental, North Carolina.
When Amanda receives the opportunity to attend Duke University, something she had dreamed about ever since she was young, her parents declare that they won't pay for college, or support her in the least bit, if she keeps up her relationship with Dawson. Amanda tells Dawson about her problem, and he decides to let her go, not because he wants to, but because he wants Amanda to have this opportunity to grow, make her dreams come true, and be happy. They eventually both leave Oriental, but for separate cities, thinking they might never see each other again. Little did they know that the death of old man Tuck, a mutual friend and huge support for them both, would bring them together again about twenty years later, for just a few days that would change the courses of both their lives permanently.
It took me several chapters to realize that the story had several striking similarities to "The Notebook". The rich girl meets poor boy romance. The stubborn mother with an iron fist, but not enough control to stop her daughter from making these escapades with the boy she hates. The parting of ways as boy and girl try to escape the situations they dislike, but separate from each other along the way. Don't get me wrong, I love "The Notebook" and plan to watch it many more times in the years to come. But there were several characters and plot points that just confused me, or made me feel extremely dissatisfied with the story, and sometimes both things at once.
(NOTE: I haven't read the novel "The Notebook", so unfortunately I have to make these criticisms based on the movie. I have not seen the movie for "The Best of Me", but even if I had, I wouldn't be comparing the two films, since I am trying to review a book instead. It doesn't seem entirely fair to compare a book to a movie, but what I am trying to focus on more is the story in and of itself, its characters and the main elements of the plot. Writing style is also important. I apologize for any moment in which the comparisons do not seem just.)
First, there's Amanda's mother, Evelyn Collier. Always dressed to perfection, constantly conflicting with her daughter. Not especially caring or sympathetic, even when Amanda most needed her to be. (NOTE: SPOILER INCOMING. If you don't want to read it, then skip this next part!)
But when Evelyn finds Dawson and Amanda together one morning, clearly knowing what happened between them the previous night, she simply tells Amanda not to listen to anyone else's advice, and instead to listen to her own. While I think that comment by Evelyn is wise, and one of the nicest things she says to Amanda in the entire book, it seems out of place. Evelyn has been judging Amanda ever since she was young, as is explained throughout the book. It's also clear that Evelyn will never stop questioning or judging Amanda's actions and intentions, even when she is doing the right thing. She judges Amanda's marriage, her attitudes about marriage, her attitudes about the child she lost to cancer. Then, all of a sudden, when Evelyn sees her daughter with the guy she's hated, and continued to hate, for years, she tells Amanda not to listen to her advice. Evelyn had always wanted Amanda to listen to her advice, as the author portrays from earlier conflicts regarding Amanda's relationship with Dawson, and there doesn't seem to be any real explanation for Evelyn's change of heart. It's a nice gesture, but not very believable.
Then there's Dawson. He was my favorite character in this book. Strong, empathic, honest, raw, hard-working, perseverant. But, like all characters, he had his flaws. After Amanda had gone off to Duke, he moved to New Orleans and got a job on an oil rig, returning every once in a while to a lonely trailer away from the crowded city. During all his years of living in New Orleans, Dawson never took the time to enjoy any of the city's attractions (ex. Cafe du Monde) or develop any other close relationships, other than the one he maintained with Tuck from a distance. The only significant effort he made to be happy was getting out of Oriental, where his demented and violent family was waiting for the day when they could take him down. Dawson knows how to make people like Tuck and Amanda happy, but it seems like he doesn't make much of an effort to make himself happy. He seems to lack motivation, except when he is reunited with Amanda, which changes him completely.
Earlier in his life, Dawson's strong motivation kept him from being like the rest of his family, and prompted him to build up his strength and run away from home in order to escape his father's cruelty. In a place where his family definitely can't find him, a place for a fresh start, why can't Dawson really start over? Because of Amanda. I understand that she is the love of his life, and he feels that they are meant to be together forever. But having seen Dawson's character shine through in the diverse struggles he experienced, it seems off-putting and disappointing that he would let the mere thought of this woman keep him from even going out to Cafe du Monde. Yes, I can maybe understand that he wouldn't want to see other women (Although twenty-something years is quite a long time not to date when you're his age.) But why not at least enjoy this new place, to the fullest extent that you can?
It does seem that Dawson enjoys physical exercise, as is portrayed by the description of his early morning jogs when he finally goes back to Oriental. But these are momentary distractions for a person who is deeply unhappy. And maybe here is where I get to the idea that most bothers me: that someone as smart and cultivated and romantic as Dawson Cole ends up unhappy with his life just because he can't forget about a girl he loved as a teenager (who, by the way, got married shortly after finishing college, to a guy she had dated since sophomore year.) Does this girl think about him? Absolutely yes. She thinks she made a mistake not to marry him. But in the end, she chooses the less risky and less satisfying path of staying married to her husband, instead of going for what she really wants. The book even seems to insinuate that maybe Amanda did make the right decision (BIG SPOILER COMING), since her son Jared's life is saved when he receives a heart donation from, guess who...Dawson Cole, who was shot by one of his crazy family members while trying to save two innocent people from getting shot. The most genuinely kind character in the book gets shot by violent loonies, while his true love's son (not his son, of course) is saved by his heart. And herein lies the irony of the story: Dawson truly gave the best of himself to Amanda, by giving the heart with which he loved her always to her dying son. He "lives on" in Jared's body, while Amanda is left to wonder "What if?", and the reader is guilt-stricken, wondering if Amanda's son would have died had she chosen Dawson in the end. How can that kind of choice ever turn out right?
And how, for that matter, can you leave your reader thinking about how such a wonderful person wound up shot in the head while his true love drove off to see her drunk husband, who was one of the reasons why Jared almost died? It's frustrating and unfair. Yes, I understand that many stories do not have happy endings. But the final resolution did not prompt me to read another Nicholas Sparks novel. I have read many sad books that have prompted me to read them over and over again (see my earlier reviews of books such as Looking For Alaska, Thirteen Reasons Why, The Fault in Our Stars and The Tribes of Palos Verdes) because they have much deeper meanings. I was expecting this novel to have a bit more depth to it, a little more meat, and I was disappointed.
I still plan to see the film version of "The Best of Me", just to see how it turned out. But I'm left highly disappointed by the novel, which also happened to be written in a style that fell below my expectations. I've heard that some of his other books are more well-written, so I might give those a chance. But for now, I'm moving on to other books by other authors. I admire Nicholas Sparks's hard work, and hope to write as many, or more, books than he has one day. But I don't feel inclined to recommend this novel. Perhaps in the future, another one of his novels will be more satisfying. I wait with much hope for that day.
Monday, July 6, 2015
#17: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Finally, a book where the stakes are high and you're constantly seeking more satisfaction, even though every page feels fresh and crisp, no matter what part of the book you're reading. It's one of those books that doesn't have any good "stopping points". At first thought, you might wonder if it's a bad thing for a book not to have any adequate places to pause. But in my case, I wanted to keep on going, and see what happened next, even if the latest chapter had ended with a good temporary resolution, such as a small conflict getting resolved. One might consider this situation to be a good stopping point. You can finally say you're going to sleep or something of the sort. Although that was the path I took a number of times while reading this book, I was never quite satisfied with it. Every chapter left me wanting more. Every single one.
The peculiarity of "The Name of the Wind" is that you have that story within a story. Kote, an innkeeper who leads a seemingly peaceful life, agrees to tell his life story to a man who goes by the name of Chronicler, who has been asked to seek out stories such as Kote's. Kote agrees, but says that he will take three days, a sum which Chronicler finds ridiculous at first, considering that he usually takes one day at most to record the story of a very important man. But Kote insists that his story must take three days, and Chronicler finally complies. He soon finds, after all, that Kote's story is one that deserves to be listened to and narrated intricately and carefully.
"The Name of the Wind" is the first book in a trilogy, The Kingkiller Chronicle, and it depicts the events of the first day Kote takes to tell his story, the first part of which encompasses his childhood up until he is about fifteen or sixteen years old. At that age, he was known as Kvothe, a brave and remarkably intelligent young boy who finds his strength of heart and mind tested after a horrible tragedy leaves him to fend for himself. The numerous hardships he experiences are narrated beautifully, but Rothfuss never lets us forget that, beneath the beauty of the tale Kvothe tells, lies the terrible fact that Kvothe is truly on his own, and is constantly on the edge of survival.
There are many aspects of this book that deserve applause, but one that I must point out immediately is that every detail seems to matter. I think that, as a writer, it can be very easy to write in seemingly interesting details and just leave them hanging there, not really attached to any particular person or event that could make them more than just snippets of information. I noticed, for example, how much detail Rothfuss used to describe Kvothe's relationship with music, especially with the lute. Each tiny incident involving music, especially a lute, added to the overall narrative and the interactions Kvothe had with other characters. It changed his mindset and the way he thought of himself and others. The making and breaking of this music drove even more twists into a very rich plot.
I must also commend Patrick Rothfuss for making a very thick book feel incredibly light. The book is over 600 pages long, (whether you get the book in a larger or smaller format) yet the narrative feels continuously fresh and enthralling. You're never left wondering when the author is going to "cut to the chase" or "get the book over with already". Instead, each page draws you in more than the last, and by the end of the book, you're left wanting so much more, it's highly tempting to get to the nearest library or bookstore as fast as possible in order to procure the second book.
"The Name of the Wind" is now one of my favorite books. I give it a ten out of ten for narration, description, character development and satisfaction in both the literary and emotional senses. Patrick Rothfuss is a true genius, and I can't wait to pick up the second book in The Kingkiller Chronicle.
Enjoyed the review? Check out my Writer Intro blog here.
The Name of the Wind Book Review by Courtney Justus is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The peculiarity of "The Name of the Wind" is that you have that story within a story. Kote, an innkeeper who leads a seemingly peaceful life, agrees to tell his life story to a man who goes by the name of Chronicler, who has been asked to seek out stories such as Kote's. Kote agrees, but says that he will take three days, a sum which Chronicler finds ridiculous at first, considering that he usually takes one day at most to record the story of a very important man. But Kote insists that his story must take three days, and Chronicler finally complies. He soon finds, after all, that Kote's story is one that deserves to be listened to and narrated intricately and carefully.
"The Name of the Wind" is the first book in a trilogy, The Kingkiller Chronicle, and it depicts the events of the first day Kote takes to tell his story, the first part of which encompasses his childhood up until he is about fifteen or sixteen years old. At that age, he was known as Kvothe, a brave and remarkably intelligent young boy who finds his strength of heart and mind tested after a horrible tragedy leaves him to fend for himself. The numerous hardships he experiences are narrated beautifully, but Rothfuss never lets us forget that, beneath the beauty of the tale Kvothe tells, lies the terrible fact that Kvothe is truly on his own, and is constantly on the edge of survival.
There are many aspects of this book that deserve applause, but one that I must point out immediately is that every detail seems to matter. I think that, as a writer, it can be very easy to write in seemingly interesting details and just leave them hanging there, not really attached to any particular person or event that could make them more than just snippets of information. I noticed, for example, how much detail Rothfuss used to describe Kvothe's relationship with music, especially with the lute. Each tiny incident involving music, especially a lute, added to the overall narrative and the interactions Kvothe had with other characters. It changed his mindset and the way he thought of himself and others. The making and breaking of this music drove even more twists into a very rich plot.
I must also commend Patrick Rothfuss for making a very thick book feel incredibly light. The book is over 600 pages long, (whether you get the book in a larger or smaller format) yet the narrative feels continuously fresh and enthralling. You're never left wondering when the author is going to "cut to the chase" or "get the book over with already". Instead, each page draws you in more than the last, and by the end of the book, you're left wanting so much more, it's highly tempting to get to the nearest library or bookstore as fast as possible in order to procure the second book.
"The Name of the Wind" is now one of my favorite books. I give it a ten out of ten for narration, description, character development and satisfaction in both the literary and emotional senses. Patrick Rothfuss is a true genius, and I can't wait to pick up the second book in The Kingkiller Chronicle.
Enjoyed the review? Check out my Writer Intro blog here.
The Name of the Wind Book Review by Courtney Justus is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
#16: The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
This novel by Laurie Halse Anderson has left my head spinning since I finished it around 1:20 a.m. several nights ago. There is a LOT to say about this book. It was mesmerizing and very well-written, but I do have some questions and concerns about this book that I would like answered.
Hayley Kincain has that same authentic, acidic tone of voice as Melinda, the protagonist of "Speak", one of Anderson's most successful novels to date. At first, it seemed like Hayley was a bit too similar to Melinda, but I soon found my suspicion to be wrong. It's not that one is better than the other. Hayley has different challenges to deal with, and Anderson describes these challenges, as well as Hayley's approach to them, impeccably. For Hayley, it often seems that, just as life is starting to get a little better, something terrible happens, and things suddenly get a whole lot worse. The opposite happens as well, such as when Hayley escapes the unexpected "party" her father is having with military friends and goes to the football game she had promised her friend Finn she would write about, then finds herself having a very sweet time with Finn when he reveals his romantic interest in her. But then, there is the terrible moment when they are about to have their first kiss in front of Hayley's house, and Hayley's father Andy comes out holding an axe, drunk and angry. Things only get worse when Trish, Andy's ex-girlfriend and Hayley's former "stepmom", comes back. In the midst of all of these challenges, Hayley must deal with both her father's mental instability and her own, as both are scarred by the memories they have tried so desperately to escape.
Anderson portrays the struggles of Hayley and those who care about her with such clarity and poignance, I cried. I know it sounds really cheesy to say it like that, but I'm the kind of person who doesn't cry easily at books, even if they really are sad. I read plenty of novels and stories that were labeled "tear-jerkers", "heartbreaking" or just plain sad, but didn't make one tear come from my eye. This novel made me tear up twice, and for prolonged moments, which says a lot. The few other times a book has made me cry, it was always after the book had ended and I was processing everything. A couple of short stories I read made me cry, but I'd read them before and they hadn't made me cry the first time; I'd been a little more torn up when I started reading them for the second time. In conclusion, it is hard to get my tears from any book, period. This book did it, and more than once. And it did so with such beauty, I can only applaud Anderson for her ability to create situations and characters that you feel so attached to, even if you have no prior experience with PTSD of family members or of your own. The snippets that describe Andy's experiences in the military are nothing short of excellent. Hayley's descriptions of the "ripping" feeling as sad memories resurface is spot on. It is from these "knife" and "ripping" allusions and descriptions that the book seems to get its name.
But I have a few questions and concerns. WARNING: THERE ARE BIGGER SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON. If you do not want to hear about the ending, or other more intricate aspects of the book, please do NOT read on.
My first question is a minor one, but not insignificant. What is with all the typos? I don't know if it was just an error in my particular edition, but I caught multiple instances in which there was either a word missing, words in the wrong order or some other kind of small but significant grammatical error. I understand that, no matter how many times you edit it, any novel is going to end up with at least a couple of small grammatical errors. That's completely acceptable. The first time I caught a mistake of this kind while reading "The Impossible Knife of Memory", I brushed it off. But it kept on happening, again and again. I don't mean to be nitpicky, but certain errors can really lower that feeling of exhilaration you get when you're reading one of the more "dangerous" parts of the novel. I'm not blaming this error on anyone in particular. But I think it's something to be kept in mind for the future.
Second question (and this is a bigger one) goes as follows: What on Earth happens to Gracie and Topher?? I know that Hayley is the protagonist, and she and Finn are much more focused on than they are (and with good reason), but I was a little bit thrown off when Anderson didn't say a bit more about where these characters ended up. Before Hayley, Finn and Andy are thrown into a life-threatening situation (mostly because of Andy), Gracie was trying to get into college somewhere far away while trying to deal with her parents' rut in their marriage and the care of her kid brother. Where is she off to when Finn is off to Swevenbury and Hayley is off to state school somewhere? (And what school does Hayley even get into anyway? And where? It would be good to know at least what city or state she is going to, because the mention of somewhere south of where she went to high school that gave good financial aid and bla bla bla just doesn't cut it for me.)
But back to Gracie. What does she end up doing? Does she stay close to home, or does she get a ticket to get out and go somewhere far away? And what does Topher end up doing? Do they end up in different schools? Honestly, with the descriptions of Gracie given throughout the book, especially of her darker moments and her fleeting innocence at the beginning, I thought I'd be able to see where she finally ends up. Either there was some indication of Gracie and Topher's "final" outcome that I completely missed, or it just isn't really there.
And what happens with Finn's family? He wasn't exactly seeing rainbows and unicorns at home with his sister's addiction and his conflictive, perhaps overbearing (in just a few aspects) parents. I understand that end is a bit trickier to tie up, and could get messy in the process of trying to figure out a resolution to Hayley's story, which is the main focus. But it would have been nice to know just a little more about what happened with Finn's family. Frankly, I was very happy that Finn got a huge scholarship to Swevenbury (he deserved it) and was able to get away from home. Still, now that I am processing this situation further, this lack of a more fixed conclusion may match what happens at Hayley's house, although at least with Andy the author alludes to the idea that he might actually be getting better this time. If he really isn't, then at least Hayley can get away from that. The same goes for Finn and his family. But I do have those questions, and it makes me wonder if Anderson will write a sequel to "The Impossible Knife of Memory". It would be really interesting.
Although there are plenty of things about the ending that are highly satisfying, I still felt a little dissatisfying. I wanted to hear a bit more from Hayley. It broke my heart to see her and Finn going their separate ways, although it's understandable, given their circumstances of college searches. It was a beautiful ending, but I felt like something was missing.
If I had to rate this book, I'd give it a seven, at most an eight, out of ten. It was beautifully crafted, very poignant and highly realistic. If my rating were based solely on the quality of the writing, (minus the errors which are just shortfalls in the editing) the book would be a nine or ten. Adding up the questions I still have, mostly because of that sense of incompleteness and "What about this person?", plus the accumulation of errors in editing, I give it the seven. It pains me to do so, because this was a really beautiful book, but after the initial (very strong) book hangover, I had questions hanging. I wanted answers that I could not find. I still think a lot of people should read this book, because there are some beautiful character and plot evolutions, as well as some revelations that are very well-placed. Anderson has a way of making you feel glued to the page, barely satisfied one moment before becoming hungry for answers over the next fifty pages or so. This pattern repeats itself until the very end of the book. I admire that very much of Anderson's writing. She gave me that same feeling with "Speak". Although I liked the themes and characters of "The Impossible Knife of Memory" more, I have quite a few questions still. I hope to find answers to them somehow.
Have any questions or comments on my review? How well did I do in describing the book? Feel free to comment below.
Check out my writer's blog here.
The Impossible Knife of Memory Book Review by Courtney Justus is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Hayley Kincain has that same authentic, acidic tone of voice as Melinda, the protagonist of "Speak", one of Anderson's most successful novels to date. At first, it seemed like Hayley was a bit too similar to Melinda, but I soon found my suspicion to be wrong. It's not that one is better than the other. Hayley has different challenges to deal with, and Anderson describes these challenges, as well as Hayley's approach to them, impeccably. For Hayley, it often seems that, just as life is starting to get a little better, something terrible happens, and things suddenly get a whole lot worse. The opposite happens as well, such as when Hayley escapes the unexpected "party" her father is having with military friends and goes to the football game she had promised her friend Finn she would write about, then finds herself having a very sweet time with Finn when he reveals his romantic interest in her. But then, there is the terrible moment when they are about to have their first kiss in front of Hayley's house, and Hayley's father Andy comes out holding an axe, drunk and angry. Things only get worse when Trish, Andy's ex-girlfriend and Hayley's former "stepmom", comes back. In the midst of all of these challenges, Hayley must deal with both her father's mental instability and her own, as both are scarred by the memories they have tried so desperately to escape.
Anderson portrays the struggles of Hayley and those who care about her with such clarity and poignance, I cried. I know it sounds really cheesy to say it like that, but I'm the kind of person who doesn't cry easily at books, even if they really are sad. I read plenty of novels and stories that were labeled "tear-jerkers", "heartbreaking" or just plain sad, but didn't make one tear come from my eye. This novel made me tear up twice, and for prolonged moments, which says a lot. The few other times a book has made me cry, it was always after the book had ended and I was processing everything. A couple of short stories I read made me cry, but I'd read them before and they hadn't made me cry the first time; I'd been a little more torn up when I started reading them for the second time. In conclusion, it is hard to get my tears from any book, period. This book did it, and more than once. And it did so with such beauty, I can only applaud Anderson for her ability to create situations and characters that you feel so attached to, even if you have no prior experience with PTSD of family members or of your own. The snippets that describe Andy's experiences in the military are nothing short of excellent. Hayley's descriptions of the "ripping" feeling as sad memories resurface is spot on. It is from these "knife" and "ripping" allusions and descriptions that the book seems to get its name.
But I have a few questions and concerns. WARNING: THERE ARE BIGGER SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON. If you do not want to hear about the ending, or other more intricate aspects of the book, please do NOT read on.
My first question is a minor one, but not insignificant. What is with all the typos? I don't know if it was just an error in my particular edition, but I caught multiple instances in which there was either a word missing, words in the wrong order or some other kind of small but significant grammatical error. I understand that, no matter how many times you edit it, any novel is going to end up with at least a couple of small grammatical errors. That's completely acceptable. The first time I caught a mistake of this kind while reading "The Impossible Knife of Memory", I brushed it off. But it kept on happening, again and again. I don't mean to be nitpicky, but certain errors can really lower that feeling of exhilaration you get when you're reading one of the more "dangerous" parts of the novel. I'm not blaming this error on anyone in particular. But I think it's something to be kept in mind for the future.
Second question (and this is a bigger one) goes as follows: What on Earth happens to Gracie and Topher?? I know that Hayley is the protagonist, and she and Finn are much more focused on than they are (and with good reason), but I was a little bit thrown off when Anderson didn't say a bit more about where these characters ended up. Before Hayley, Finn and Andy are thrown into a life-threatening situation (mostly because of Andy), Gracie was trying to get into college somewhere far away while trying to deal with her parents' rut in their marriage and the care of her kid brother. Where is she off to when Finn is off to Swevenbury and Hayley is off to state school somewhere? (And what school does Hayley even get into anyway? And where? It would be good to know at least what city or state she is going to, because the mention of somewhere south of where she went to high school that gave good financial aid and bla bla bla just doesn't cut it for me.)
But back to Gracie. What does she end up doing? Does she stay close to home, or does she get a ticket to get out and go somewhere far away? And what does Topher end up doing? Do they end up in different schools? Honestly, with the descriptions of Gracie given throughout the book, especially of her darker moments and her fleeting innocence at the beginning, I thought I'd be able to see where she finally ends up. Either there was some indication of Gracie and Topher's "final" outcome that I completely missed, or it just isn't really there.
And what happens with Finn's family? He wasn't exactly seeing rainbows and unicorns at home with his sister's addiction and his conflictive, perhaps overbearing (in just a few aspects) parents. I understand that end is a bit trickier to tie up, and could get messy in the process of trying to figure out a resolution to Hayley's story, which is the main focus. But it would have been nice to know just a little more about what happened with Finn's family. Frankly, I was very happy that Finn got a huge scholarship to Swevenbury (he deserved it) and was able to get away from home. Still, now that I am processing this situation further, this lack of a more fixed conclusion may match what happens at Hayley's house, although at least with Andy the author alludes to the idea that he might actually be getting better this time. If he really isn't, then at least Hayley can get away from that. The same goes for Finn and his family. But I do have those questions, and it makes me wonder if Anderson will write a sequel to "The Impossible Knife of Memory". It would be really interesting.
Although there are plenty of things about the ending that are highly satisfying, I still felt a little dissatisfying. I wanted to hear a bit more from Hayley. It broke my heart to see her and Finn going their separate ways, although it's understandable, given their circumstances of college searches. It was a beautiful ending, but I felt like something was missing.
If I had to rate this book, I'd give it a seven, at most an eight, out of ten. It was beautifully crafted, very poignant and highly realistic. If my rating were based solely on the quality of the writing, (minus the errors which are just shortfalls in the editing) the book would be a nine or ten. Adding up the questions I still have, mostly because of that sense of incompleteness and "What about this person?", plus the accumulation of errors in editing, I give it the seven. It pains me to do so, because this was a really beautiful book, but after the initial (very strong) book hangover, I had questions hanging. I wanted answers that I could not find. I still think a lot of people should read this book, because there are some beautiful character and plot evolutions, as well as some revelations that are very well-placed. Anderson has a way of making you feel glued to the page, barely satisfied one moment before becoming hungry for answers over the next fifty pages or so. This pattern repeats itself until the very end of the book. I admire that very much of Anderson's writing. She gave me that same feeling with "Speak". Although I liked the themes and characters of "The Impossible Knife of Memory" more, I have quite a few questions still. I hope to find answers to them somehow.
Have any questions or comments on my review? How well did I do in describing the book? Feel free to comment below.
Check out my writer's blog here.
The Impossible Knife of Memory Book Review by Courtney Justus is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Saturday, January 24, 2015
#15: If I Stay by Gayle Forman
"If I Stay" was met with much anticipation on my part. After trying several times to get it from my local library, I finally received it as a Christmas present, and immediately dug in.
Gayle Forman has a magical way of weaving the story. At the beginning, I was very intrigued to know who Mia was, what the world around her and the people in her life were like. Mia's voice is honest, humble and unsparing. Forman creates amazing descriptions of the events in Mia's life, from the car accident that kills her family (described so realistically, I could see it all gruesomely unfold in my mind) to beautiful moments from her past and the cold, tense moments of limbo she experiences as she waits in the hospital, looking at her broken body and processing the changes that have occurred and the decisions she must make.
One thing I especially liked about Forman's writing is that she shows the virtues and flaws of each character brilliantly, making the characters easier to imagine as people in real life, rather than just storybook characters living in a seemingly real world. In fact, showcasing Mia and Adam's flaws as people, as well as in their relationship, made them seem much more realistic as a couple. The same goes for Mia's family and friends, including her best friend, Kim, who seems very unlikeable at first, but then reveals herself to be a mature, insightful, humble friend who defends Mia with tooth and nail.
The setting in which the story took place also seemed very vivid. It wasn't merely that Forman used a real state, Oregon, but that she also described Mia's school and home, the hospital and many other places without exaggeration, emphasizing just the right qualities of each place, such as the mixture of comfort and conflict in Mia's home and the cold, unforgiving hallways of the hospital that Mia wanders through. Her music camp seemed to glow with the warmth of campfires, stars and camaraderie. The coffee shop she and Kim would frequent seems surrounded by a dim glow, the coffee smell almost jumping off the page. The wet, grey backdrop of Oregon surrounded most of these locations, never to be forgotten, as it seems to remind us of the dark gloom that encroaches as Mia contemplates her family's deaths and thinks about what her own might be like, if she were to choose it.
Overall, I thought Forman's writing was beautiful and masterful, evoking sadness, beauty and empathy brilliantly. As a Young Adult writer, I hope to craft novels as masterful as hers. "If I Stay" has become a model of inspiration for me, due to both the way the story is told and how the book is structured. There is an alluring air to it all, and I'm so grateful I was finally able to get my hands on it. If you are looking to read YA, write YA or both, then I highly recommend you read this book.
If I Stay Review by Courtney Justus is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Gayle Forman has a magical way of weaving the story. At the beginning, I was very intrigued to know who Mia was, what the world around her and the people in her life were like. Mia's voice is honest, humble and unsparing. Forman creates amazing descriptions of the events in Mia's life, from the car accident that kills her family (described so realistically, I could see it all gruesomely unfold in my mind) to beautiful moments from her past and the cold, tense moments of limbo she experiences as she waits in the hospital, looking at her broken body and processing the changes that have occurred and the decisions she must make.
One thing I especially liked about Forman's writing is that she shows the virtues and flaws of each character brilliantly, making the characters easier to imagine as people in real life, rather than just storybook characters living in a seemingly real world. In fact, showcasing Mia and Adam's flaws as people, as well as in their relationship, made them seem much more realistic as a couple. The same goes for Mia's family and friends, including her best friend, Kim, who seems very unlikeable at first, but then reveals herself to be a mature, insightful, humble friend who defends Mia with tooth and nail.
The setting in which the story took place also seemed very vivid. It wasn't merely that Forman used a real state, Oregon, but that she also described Mia's school and home, the hospital and many other places without exaggeration, emphasizing just the right qualities of each place, such as the mixture of comfort and conflict in Mia's home and the cold, unforgiving hallways of the hospital that Mia wanders through. Her music camp seemed to glow with the warmth of campfires, stars and camaraderie. The coffee shop she and Kim would frequent seems surrounded by a dim glow, the coffee smell almost jumping off the page. The wet, grey backdrop of Oregon surrounded most of these locations, never to be forgotten, as it seems to remind us of the dark gloom that encroaches as Mia contemplates her family's deaths and thinks about what her own might be like, if she were to choose it.
Overall, I thought Forman's writing was beautiful and masterful, evoking sadness, beauty and empathy brilliantly. As a Young Adult writer, I hope to craft novels as masterful as hers. "If I Stay" has become a model of inspiration for me, due to both the way the story is told and how the book is structured. There is an alluring air to it all, and I'm so grateful I was finally able to get my hands on it. If you are looking to read YA, write YA or both, then I highly recommend you read this book.
If I Stay Review by Courtney Justus is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Saturday, January 10, 2015
#14: Slant Six by Erin Belieu
Slant Six is one of several poetry anthologies I acquired over the year 2014, when I began my very first Poetry Writing class at my university. I even got to meet her and have her sign my copy, which is super cool!
Anyway, about Slant Six: This little collection of poems is dark, funny, innovative, evocative, surprising, beautiful and ultimately satisfying. Knowing Erin, who came with Lauren Berry to a private Q&A session in my class, her poems reflect her personality quite well. Erin is very sincere, but also funny in a serious sort of way. Her humor comes naturally, both in her personality and her poetry.
"Poem of Philosophical and Parental Conundrums Written In An Election Year", for example, seems to be, in my opinion, a prime example of Erin's impeccable style, as well as a reflection of her motherly love and keen perception. The poem, like many others Erin has written, is effortlessly upbeat and witty. One particular part that struck me reads:
"how we're suckered into thinking this kid stuff
is a science when really it's the most abstract
art form, like you're standing in a gallery at
MoMA, staring at an aquarium in which float
three basketballs, and the piece is titled
Aquarium with Three Basketballs...." (Erin Belieu, Slant Six, 2014. All rights reserved.)
Other poems I particularly liked include "The Body Is A Big Sagacity", "Burying It", "Apres Moi" and "Olentangy River". Overall, nevertheless, the collection is brilliant and memorizing, and prompts me to read it over and over again until I have every bit of Erin Belieu's poems memorized.
For more information on my time with Erin Belieu and my writing, check out my other blog at http://cjustuswriterintro.blogspot.com/
LIKE my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/courtneyjustuswriter?fref=ts
Slant Six Review by Courtney Justus is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Anyway, about Slant Six: This little collection of poems is dark, funny, innovative, evocative, surprising, beautiful and ultimately satisfying. Knowing Erin, who came with Lauren Berry to a private Q&A session in my class, her poems reflect her personality quite well. Erin is very sincere, but also funny in a serious sort of way. Her humor comes naturally, both in her personality and her poetry.
"Poem of Philosophical and Parental Conundrums Written In An Election Year", for example, seems to be, in my opinion, a prime example of Erin's impeccable style, as well as a reflection of her motherly love and keen perception. The poem, like many others Erin has written, is effortlessly upbeat and witty. One particular part that struck me reads:
"how we're suckered into thinking this kid stuff
is a science when really it's the most abstract
art form, like you're standing in a gallery at
MoMA, staring at an aquarium in which float
three basketballs, and the piece is titled
Aquarium with Three Basketballs...." (Erin Belieu, Slant Six, 2014. All rights reserved.)
Other poems I particularly liked include "The Body Is A Big Sagacity", "Burying It", "Apres Moi" and "Olentangy River". Overall, nevertheless, the collection is brilliant and memorizing, and prompts me to read it over and over again until I have every bit of Erin Belieu's poems memorized.
For more information on my time with Erin Belieu and my writing, check out my other blog at http://cjustuswriterintro.blogspot.com/
LIKE my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/courtneyjustuswriter?fref=ts
Slant Six Review by Courtney Justus is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Saturday, October 25, 2014
#13: Letters From Skye by Jessica Brockmole
This book was on display at my university library. I picked it up out of curiosity, and immediately found myself immersed in the world of David, Elspeth and those around them. There are two main time periods in the book: just before and during World War One, and smack in the middle of World War Two. David and Elspeth, who meet through a series of letters, are shown at alternate stages in their relationship. These fragments, in turn, are pieced with the story of Margaret, Elspeth's daughter, who begins to uncover the story of her mother's great love when she is grown up and nearly ready to have a family of her own.
The main difficulty David and Elspeth face is the distance that separates. This distance changes from time to time as the two characters move from place to place, and peril ensues when David goes off to war after losing his job as a teacher, hoping to make something greater of his life. Elspeth, on the other hand, mostly remains on the Isle of Skye, writing books of poetry, until the strength of David's love changes both of their lives forever.
There are very difficult and sad parts in this book, but Jessica Brockmole writes with such grace and clarity that they seem beautiful. Whether you've had problems with distance in relationships or not, you can still greatly enjoy the story and empathize with its characters, who Brockmole has fleshed out carefully and cleverly. She has done the same for the story in itself, allowing us to envision the various landscapes and situations of the novel so starkly, you feel as though you were reading the book at Place Three in France, or at Elspeth's cottage in Skye.
Overall, Letters from Skye was both surprising and pleasing. I highly recommend it and would definitely read it again.
Letters From Skye Review by Courtney Justus is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The main difficulty David and Elspeth face is the distance that separates. This distance changes from time to time as the two characters move from place to place, and peril ensues when David goes off to war after losing his job as a teacher, hoping to make something greater of his life. Elspeth, on the other hand, mostly remains on the Isle of Skye, writing books of poetry, until the strength of David's love changes both of their lives forever.
There are very difficult and sad parts in this book, but Jessica Brockmole writes with such grace and clarity that they seem beautiful. Whether you've had problems with distance in relationships or not, you can still greatly enjoy the story and empathize with its characters, who Brockmole has fleshed out carefully and cleverly. She has done the same for the story in itself, allowing us to envision the various landscapes and situations of the novel so starkly, you feel as though you were reading the book at Place Three in France, or at Elspeth's cottage in Skye.
Overall, Letters from Skye was both surprising and pleasing. I highly recommend it and would definitely read it again.
Letters From Skye Review by Courtney Justus is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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