Jenni Fagan's "The Panopticon"

‘The Panopticon’ is one of the most fantastic additions to the young adult fiction world that currently exists. While some people contest its suitability for the young adult library due to the vulgar nature of its sexual references and cussing, they would be unpleasantly surprised to find out that the average teenager knows a few four letter words, as well as their own developing body.

There is also the misconception that the panopticon represents the building that the protagonist is sent to, while realistically it is not-quite-figurative; a mental state. While some elements of fantasy are implied in the beginning, the story will quickly establish that these, too, are imaginary.

The main character is Anais, a young girl who has bounded from foster home to correctional facility and back again for most of her young life (she is only 16 at the opening of the story). While her offenses have always been relatively minor, she is the main suspect in a potential murder. A police woman who had already had several bad run-ins with Anais is in a coma, and as a result, both of their outcomes are looking bleaker by the day.

Anais cannot remember committing the crime (a result of being constantly on drugs), but knows she will, if she knows anything, given enough time, the way it always does. The book goes through her daily life at the correctional facility, slowly remembering her events on that day, with occasional glimpses to her childhood.

The friendships in “The Panopticon” are also an integral theme, since many of the characters are lacking a family of their own. They are beautifully depicted, and often heart-breaking considering the tragic setting of the book.

It deals with real issues, even if the average adolescent will never have a life that completely contends with that of Anais (but, unfortunately, there are many that will). It is not only the mystery that will keep you reading, but a genuine love for the protagonist. While she doesn’t always do all the right things, and can be downright antagonistic at times, you will root for her. She is a good girl at heart, let down by family and the general system.

While I would definitely say this belongs on the young adult shelf, every adult would benefit from reading this book. There are experiences we forget as an adult, especially if we have lived an essentially trouble-free adolescence. It is all too easy to forget or ignore the perspective of another in the circumstances depicted in this novel, and while the problems in this book are not something we enjoy being reminded of, they are crucial in the current day, while these social problems are still all too real.

Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park

Eleanor & Park, written by the popular Rainbow Rowell, is another solid young adult novel to add to your collection (home or library). It is beautifully written, swapping between the perspectives of two teen misfits that lend their name to the title.

Park wants to go by unnoticed, preferring to just do his own thing and move on. He is clever, a dedicated martial artist, and music-lover. From the moment his headphones go on for the bus ride home, he enters his own world and wants to be left alone there.

Eleanor is the new kid at school, with a troublesome home life. Strange, and perhaps eccentric in terms of her style, she is good-hearted, but not quite “nice”. She sits next to Park on the bus just because it is the only seat remaining, but, like him, at least she just wants to be left alone. Or maybe things aren’t that simple after all?

The story is predictable in terms of its beginning love arc, but that doesn’t make it any less good. Even knowing what was going to happen, I was still eager to turn each page, happy to be getting to know our two protagonists a little bit better. The character progression is believable, as is each situation that arises because of their choices.

While teen love is a huge theme in the book (parodied within the book by references to Romeo and Juliet about what love actually is, and whether teens understand the concept of and feel true love), it is not quite as light hearted as it first appears. It deals with family, domestic violence, and abuse, all in a serious and honest tone that is not thrown in merely for the sake of drama.

I read an obvious last sentence but still turned over, ever hopeful there was one more page only to be let down. Though it is well-written, fans of the characters will be left wanting more; to know specific details after the story ends. More often than not, these things are best less ambiguous, so over-all, the ending is really a satisfying one.

‘Eleanor & Park’ is definitely a page-turner, so clear out two to three hours in your schedule to start and polish it off in one sitting. After finishing it, check out Rainbow Rowell’s works. While I can’t personally recommend them, having yet to read them myself, the Internet has decided that while this book is a good one, it is not her best. That is an exciting prospect!

Eowyn Ivey's "The Snow Child"

This is an amazing modern adaption of the fairy-tale by the same name, or, alternatively, Snegurochka in Russian. The original tale is referenced frequently throughout the story, which actually serves as a prophecy to foreshadow the entire plot, to some extent. I won't spoil the ending, but not everything is as it seems throughout the story.

Jack and Mabel represent the childless couple. Mabel contemplates death and suicide while out in the forest, feeling helpless as she no longer has much to life, while Jack works every day, and they struggle to say afoot. Their marriage seems to be dwindling, and they almost seem to be holding on just because there is little else out there.

One night they rekindle their love, and happen to also build a little snow girl, who they give a hat and mittens. After this, they start to see a little girl, as light as snow herself, running through the woods, donning the clothes they left out in the snow.

Both Mabel and Jack change their stance throughout the story of whether or not this is a little girl formed from snow, or a real little girl, lost from a local village somewhere. Getting to snow the girl, and inviting her into their home, doesn't really change their answer for the majority of the story.

Meanwhile, for a lot of the story, Mabel is convinced that their little girl is really a snow child. She sends home to her sister for her original copy of the book, and is careful to try and appease the forces in the real world that caused the snow child harm in the book (such as the fox, or the fire).

It is wonderfully beautiful, and you begin to wonder whether or not the world displayed in this book is that of reality as we know it, or one of absolute magic and fairy-tale. The ending is left open to your interpretation, but will most likely further displace your idea of "The Snow Child"s world.

My problems with the book are subjective, not to mention quite shallow: I don't get why human life is so revered, while animals are hunted sometimes meaninglessly in comparison for fur and meat. This is a small and nitpicky problem with a great book, and doesn't detract too much from the story.

There is a little trailer for the book here, and to further immerse yourself in the world of "The Snow Maiden", you can listen to Tchaikovsky's incidental music here. This book is only short, and can be polished off on a cold, indulgent reading day.

Shinkai Makoto's 5cm Per Second

I recently read Makoto Shinkai's "5cm Per Second", after being a fan of the anime movie since it first came out in early 2007. Since part of what I loved about the anime really depended on those clear, crisp seasonal landscapes and panorama cityscapes, I am surprised that I came out more fond of the story told in these pages instead.

If you are also only familiar with the film, you're probably wondering how it possibly translates to black and white pages, heavy in dialogue, since the movie had this quiet, subtle beauty. Characters who are either given zero to minimal screen-time in the film, often with no lines, suddenly have a fleshed out presence, have voices, and often even a backstory. I can only reassure you that it works.

Like the film, they have the three main parts, with a few extra sub-stories which mainly fall under these stories, and the final takes place after the conclusion of the film.

"Cherry Blossom" is almost identical to the film. I can't be certain, since I haven't recently watched the film, but we are given a lot more detail about the contents of many of the letters sent between Takaki and Akari. In their final letters, the one that blew away for Takaki, and the one Akari holds in her hand after he has left, they both say, "I love you".

"Cosmonaut" is also very similar to its animated counterpart. Kanae's story is ever as heartbreaking, and if you are like me, you'll find that she had the most lasting impression of all the characters. There is something about that final scene of her cuddled up in the bed with Cabu, crying, that really made her seem real.

While not part of the "Cosmonaut" part, we learn more about her, specifically as she grows older (and I won't spoil all that here, least of all the ending). We learn that when she went to see Takaki off at the airport (shown in the final flashing moments of the movie), she confessed her feelings for him. While Takaki can't reciprocate things, he later begins to wonder if his everlasting love for Akari has made him lose out on the potential for something great with other women.

"5cm Per Second" was not my favourite part of the film, but it is definitely my favourite part of the graphic novel, as we suddenly receive so much discourse in a part that was almost completely voiceless. The film shows us a character with glasses, obviously once partner to Takaki, and gives glimpses of how their relationship comes to fall apart. Suddenly she is given a full presence, and even a name: Risa.

Risa really makes this whole book for me, and I really regret that she wasn't given the appropriate amount of attention in the film. I felt like I related to her the most (whereas I had related to Kanae as an adolescent), and I really wanted things to work out better for her. I couldn't believe some of the things Takaki did, but each time, Risa reacted so humbly and with such understanding that it all only made me love her so much more.

If you are a fan of the film, or just a fan of anime and graphic novels in general, this is really worth borrowing, or even buying. I read this almost instantly, and could barely put it down, even though the whole story is so familiar on the whole. (I also have to admit... I kept hoping there would be a different ending... That somehow Akari would be waiting for him, on the otherside of that track... didn't you want that too?)

"A Wrinkle In Time" (Graphic Novel)

Hope Larson’s ‘A Wrinkle In Time’ is a graphic novel adaption of a classic book by the same name, written by Madeleine L’Engle, and published in 1962. I’m going to judge this stand-alone, as movie, television, or comic counterparts to books are never quite as good as the original, and I don’t think it is fair to hold it up this sort of standard.

Our protagonist is Meg Murray; the typical misunderstood girl, and we are given the first real clue of her character with a flashback to her getting into a fight with another boy, as she overheard him talking about her “oddball” brother.

Only Meg’s twin brothers seem to have a good reputation, as everyone else in the family are notorious in the community for one reason or another. Meg herself is considered slow and stubborn, her mother strange but beautiful, her brother is mistaken for dumb, and the father of the family, a scientist like their mum, went missing some time ago. Everyone else besides Meg and her family believe that the father abandoned them for a new love, or is long dead. This causes quite a gap between Meg and the outside world, as she often she jumps to defend against these rumours.

The story starts off on a dark and stormy night, where Meg can’t get to sleep. She eventually stumbles downstairs to find her little brother Charles waiting for her, knowing that she would arrive, showing his startling perception and other-worldliness for a boy of only four. They are soon joined by their mother as she emerges from the lab, and, as betrayed by their dog Fort, a peculiar friend of Charles. She lives out near the woods, in what is believed to be an abandoned house with her two friends, and goes by the name of Mrs Whosit (which apparently is just her name, and not a substitution).

If Meg and her family are considered odd, they don’t hold a candle to Mrs Whosit, who, not long after taking her boots off, decides to leave them again. Before leaving, she reveals to Mrs Murray “that the tesseract is real”, which startles her to no end, much to the curiousity of the children.

Charles and Meg eventually go to meet Mrs Whosit at her house, only to come upon Calvin, a boy who is much alike to the odd Murray children, despite his popularity and general rapport at school. Meg mistrusts him at first, but soon lets down her guard. As he joins the Murray family for dinner, Calvin admits to not having the best family life, and expresses his envy to Meg, who is so dearly loved and cherished, who at the same time, realises she has a lot to be grateful for. Meg startles Calvin with her high aptitude of all things scientific and mathematic, despite the common acceptance that she is slow.

It is shortly after the trio of Charles, Meg, & Calvin come together that they are launched into adventure together, traveling to different worlds using wrinkles, or skips, in the fifth dimension. Together they learn of a great threat to all these worlds, including Earth, called IT, or The Dark Cloud.







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I wrote this in November and forgot to post it, better late than never though!

Meg Wolitzer's "The Interestings"

This book popped up as the first book in an online book club I recently started subscribing to. For some reason, I immediately assumed this to be non-fiction, but learned the reverse was true the moment I started trying to locate a copy using World Cat.

It was only available at Merrylands, so I used this as the perfect excuse to finally head off there. I signed up for membership, browsed all their lovely books and CDs, and then I needed the help of the librarian, as it wasn't in the usual fiction section, but on the "new releases" shelf.

I started reading it that day, and was bored in the first few pages, so I put it down. I was a little bit over reading books about teenagers who think they are special because they have this great group of friends. Realistically, this is just the cynic, lonely, bitter part of me speaking. I'm just jealous.

Realising I couldn't put it off forever if I wanted to be apart of a book club, I kept reading. And from the second chapter onwards, I fell in love. There is nothing all that unique in this story, it is just fantastic writing, and great character development. Jules and her friends felt real to me, even if they would have never befriended me, and I was still happy to accompany them on their journey.

I won't spoil much, but the story is essentially about a group of friends, ironically (to them) named "The Interestings", who go to an annual camp together. Each character has their own strengths, flaws, and unique history, which are slowly unveiled as the story progresses, often in suspenseful bits and pieces that keeps you hooked.

The story isn't told chronologically as it goes from the Interestings at age 15 in chapter one, only to appear 50 in the next chapter, and then in their early 20s. This is really what makes the story so interesting; the fact that we can read about these characters in middle-age, and still have them be believable, and yet "mysterious" as things are alluded to, and the facts dispersed intermittently.

As I was approaching the end of this story, I felt a certain sadness to be leaving my new friends behind. I really wanted to stay in their world a little longer.

This is the best fictional novel I've read in the past year, so if my testament is good enough, go check it out!

Penny Tangey's "Loving Richard Feynman"

This is a short, fictional story from the perspective of an Australian girl called Catherine, in the format of a diary. Each entry is addressed to Feynman in one way or another, occasionally avoiding using his name out of fear of being socially persecuted, and once or twice out of spite.

I picked this book up shortly after high school, and enjoyed it a lot more then, than I did rereading it now. It's possibly the difference between being 18 and reading about a 15-year-old, compared to being eight years older.

I found the protagonist extremely self-centered, immature, snobbish and elitist for most of the book. It is true that she grows beyond this, to some extent, but I felt the change started to happen too late for me to ever find her relatable.

However, sometimes her naivety is fresh, such as the way she approaches certain deeds that Feynman took part in, whether it is the Atomic bomb, or his approach to certain women.

This isn't the greatest introductory book to Feynman if you're an adult, but it certainly is a nice "gateway" book for kids under 16, as there are a lot of factual anecdotes between these pages. On the other hand, if you're an adult who is regretting no longer being a teenager and wanting some of that "woe is me" kind of writing, check this one out.

It's not Penny Tangey's greatest work, but it fits into the nice little niche of fiction meets fact. And let's face it... What geeky girl hasn't pondered more than just Feynman's work?

Daniel Clowes's "Ghost World"

The graphic novel "Ghost World" follows the two friends Enid and Rebecca in the 1990s, having recently graduated from high school. They are cynical, a little bit out of touch with politics and happy for it, and on the verge of adulthood, which creates inevitable tension between the girls.

I've been dying to read this one since I first heard about it a few years ago, and only recently found a library that kept it in their catalogue. Most of the short summaries I provide on books are glowing, but I was disappointed with "Ghost World" from the outset.

The art style is completely lovable, and I don't mean to downplay the talent of Daniel Clowes. The character development is realistic, especially the eventual divide between Enid and Rebecca, but it is simply the growth of two characters who I don't care about and can't relate to.

I won't be reading this again, but this isn't a reason to not check this out. Maybe it is more your cup of tea than mine. I'm sure it earned cult classic for a reason.