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Nov. 19th, 2012 10:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
skygiantsI knew going in that Sarah Rees Brennan's Unspoken was probably going to be exceptionally relevant to my interests, seeing as it is:
- a Gothic
- starring a plucky girl reporter
- and her important relationships with her ladyfriends
SOLD! said I, announced my intention to buy it the first week it was out, and then instead spent about a month and a half trying to convince the local YA bookstore to special order my copy, so, you know, the best-laid plans etc.
But anyway I finally conquered the special order process and then proceeded to devour the book in a day. The protagonist of the book is Kami, a big personality in a small English town; she's a powerhouse of an investigative reporter, with one tiny quirk in that she has spent a large portion of her life having an intense personal connection on the astral plane with a boy she's never met.
Naturally, fairly soon after the book begins, aforementioned boy shows up, and here is what I loved: IT'S REALLY AWKWARD. He's huge and kind of creepy! She's tiny and has a mean death glare! The physical presence of a previously-disembodied voice really weirds them out! He is lonely and super into maintaining their codependency, and Kami is really not sure she's comfortable with that and would like to set some boundaries, please and thank you!
About three chapters into the book, they have the conversation that goes like this:
ASTRAL PLANE DUDE: Kami, now we have met, we should clearly DATE and be TOGETHER FOREVER.
KAMI: . . . yes, of course. Let me unbutton my blouse and you can proceed to take me now!
ASTRAL PLANE DUDE: AUGH YOU HAVE A BODY AUGH PUT YOUR CLOTHES ON!
KAMI: And that is why we should not date.
It's a really beautiful deconstruction of the destined soulmates trope, and I love it to pieces.
In addition to all of this, there is a lot of page space devoted to Kami's relationships with her female friends -- her BFF Angela, the deceptively lazy, and new friend Holly, who is a lot lonelier than she seems. I loved them both; I loved that their relationships with Kami were important, and that their relationships with each other were super important too. Kami's family: also important! Also Angela's family; also, in general the sense of a town full of people who know each other very well, but who all also have their own lives and motivations. What I mean is that this is not a world which revolves around the protagonists, and that's what makes it feel real.
And then, you know, there is the plot, and a sinister aristocratic family in a sinister house, and dark secrets, and attempted murder, and possible human sacrifice, all of which is awesomely Gothic and compelling in addition to the characters! But I say 'in addition' because basically the characters are what I'm here for and will continue to be here for throughout the rest of the trilogy.
- a Gothic
- starring a plucky girl reporter
- and her important relationships with her ladyfriends
SOLD! said I, announced my intention to buy it the first week it was out, and then instead spent about a month and a half trying to convince the local YA bookstore to special order my copy, so, you know, the best-laid plans etc.
But anyway I finally conquered the special order process and then proceeded to devour the book in a day. The protagonist of the book is Kami, a big personality in a small English town; she's a powerhouse of an investigative reporter, with one tiny quirk in that she has spent a large portion of her life having an intense personal connection on the astral plane with a boy she's never met.
Naturally, fairly soon after the book begins, aforementioned boy shows up, and here is what I loved: IT'S REALLY AWKWARD. He's huge and kind of creepy! She's tiny and has a mean death glare! The physical presence of a previously-disembodied voice really weirds them out! He is lonely and super into maintaining their codependency, and Kami is really not sure she's comfortable with that and would like to set some boundaries, please and thank you!
About three chapters into the book, they have the conversation that goes like this:
ASTRAL PLANE DUDE: Kami, now we have met, we should clearly DATE and be TOGETHER FOREVER.
KAMI: . . . yes, of course. Let me unbutton my blouse and you can proceed to take me now!
ASTRAL PLANE DUDE: AUGH YOU HAVE A BODY AUGH PUT YOUR CLOTHES ON!
KAMI: And that is why we should not date.
It's a really beautiful deconstruction of the destined soulmates trope, and I love it to pieces.
In addition to all of this, there is a lot of page space devoted to Kami's relationships with her female friends -- her BFF Angela, the deceptively lazy, and new friend Holly, who is a lot lonelier than she seems. I loved them both; I loved that their relationships with Kami were important, and that their relationships with each other were super important too. Kami's family: also important! Also Angela's family; also, in general the sense of a town full of people who know each other very well, but who all also have their own lives and motivations. What I mean is that this is not a world which revolves around the protagonists, and that's what makes it feel real.
And then, you know, there is the plot, and a sinister aristocratic family in a sinister house, and dark secrets, and attempted murder, and possible human sacrifice, all of which is awesomely Gothic and compelling in addition to the characters! But I say 'in addition' because basically the characters are what I'm here for and will continue to be here for throughout the rest of the trilogy.
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Date: 2012-11-19 06:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-19 07:11 pm (UTC)