)Despite foreshadowing, it is not clear for the first half where this book is going. We have some plot markers, but we mostly seem to be following the protagonist through a year of her adolescence. Then the character development arc comes together in the third quarter and the plot in the fourth, and this becomes a great read.
The mysterious notes started appearing right about the time Miranda's best friend abandoned her and her mother found out she was going to be on The $20,000 Pyramid. She gets a new friend, picked up when the snotty rich girl was dramatically de-friending, and then they get a boy friend (potential boyfriend?) and a lunchtime job at a local sandwich shop. But where are these notes coming from and how does the writer know what is going to happen?
Some of us have doubted the wisdom of the Newbery committee over the years, but then we got The Graveyard Book and this back-to-back. It is not quite as exceptional a pairing as Bridge to Terabithia and The Westing Game, but this is a very enjoyable book.
Maybe this is easier to do with an adolescent, but our protagonist is a rounded, dynamic character. Other people are as well, although they may not change so much as Miranda's perspective on them does. In 200 pages for young readers, this book manages more character development and growth than most adult books with 500 pages of dense text.
Miranda's character arc is developing empathy, realizing that others are also suffering and doing the best they can given their circumstances. It is an arc, a gradual movement with epiphanies and setbacks. She sees herself and others trying, sometimes failing, sometimes not really trying because they do not know how to make things right or cannot bring themselves to do it.
The realization that others are seeing the same problems and suffering is profound. It is not unique or original, but it is critically important. Its lack is common enough that Miranda can have that same realization on multiple issues in successive chapters without its seeming repetitive, forced, or messianic. "I could have made this better a long time ago. Why haven't I? Why don't I?"
You could think of the first half of the book as setting up all the ways this realization can take place. It is not; it is a normal set-up of a life, explaining the people and situations around. Our world just happens to be rife with opportunities to notice others. We are introduced to everything through Miranda's eyes, and it seems natural to accept some things as the way they are rather than needing reconsideration or fixing. There are surprises in plain sight, waiting to be noticed.
That leads to the other thing this book does exceptionally: foreshadowing. The notes foretelling the future are blatant and ominous, letting many subtle bits fly under the radar. Ms. Stead puts Chekhov's gun on the mantle and manages to make it look like a decorative piece. When it comes back 100 pages later, you might not realize that you already saw it.
Rather than spoil any of those, let us remark that it pushes the book above a 3 rating because you will want to see how all the pieces came together in retrospect. That will not require re-reading for some points; some of them are explicitly cited. In at least one other case, you get the explanation before it happens, when it does not make sense, and might not notice that events are unfolding exactly as you were told.
I do not go so far as a 4 because the first half is enjoyable but not great, and any decent reading retention will get you all the value. I recommend re-skimming it to see the subtler foreshadowing, but the exposition does not have value independent of the story.
The second half is heartwarming and bittersweet and excellent. I must go get someone else to read this book.
Amazon link
0 comments:
Post a Comment