Sunday 11 October 2015

Book Review: More Than This by Patrick Ness



More Than This is the epitome of Young Adult fiction. A dystopian novel covering themes of sexuality, philosophy, technology and religion, all with a thrilling backdrop. This book was a pleasant surprise, and well worth putting the time aside to read. 

Revolving around the thoughts of main character, Seth, we meet him as he's committing suicide by plunging himself into the ocean. We don't know why, all we know is that he's dying. He wakes up in England (he lives in America), in a house he hasn't lived in for several years. He's lying semi-naked on the pavement outside his house. Everything surrounding him is overgrown, dilapidated and deserted. 

Drifting in and out of consciousness for a few days, he moves around the house and discovers it's exactly as it was when he lived here, with the furniture that his family took to America with him still in the house, along with the painful reminders of why the left England in the first place. 

The chapters jump between Seth exploring the strange place in which he's woken up, and him enduring flashbacks to his old life in America which led to his suicide. 

Ness writes an absorbing journey of teenage exploration, we find out why Seth felt the need to commit suicide, and how he reacts to being trapped in his own idea of hell. He soon discovers he's not as deserted as he initially thought, and he finds out what has happened to his family. 

We see Seth as he discovers his true self, discovers where he is, and discovers how he can fix the wrongs he's done. 


Stop reading now if you don't want to read the following spoilers...

Sexuality


We find out about a third of the way into the book that Seth is gay, and prior to his suicide, he was forced to 'come out' to his entire school in a horrible way. He lost the only person he felt that loved him for who he was and we see how he struggles to come to terms with firstly the loss, and secondly, his fault in the situation. 
The way Ness has thought about the extent to which this virtual world has taken over our life is genius and portrays a world which would not be surprising at some point in the future. 


The way Ness approaches a problem which is at the forefront of a lot of teenagers lives is clever and sensitive. He doesn't make a big deal out of Seth's sexuality, but focuses instead on how the people surrounding Seth handled his sexuality; particularly his mother and his friends and the effect that this had on Seth. 


Philosophy

Seth wakes up, not knowing where he is and we follow him as he comes up with many different ideas as to how he got there and where he is. He starts to wonder whether he's stuck inside his own mind, and he's controlling what happens and when just by thinking things; for example, he wonders if there are any animals where he is, and some foxes appear. As he starts to run towards his death, for the second time, he is saved moments before he dies by two new characters, who before long become his friends in the strange world he's living in. He even tells them of his thoughts on how he conjured them up to save his life, and how they're a figment of his imagination. 

This journey and realisation shows how self centred Seth is, but also the strength he holds within his mind, and how he is reluctant to rely on other people. By the end of the book, we never find out whether or not his theory was correct (hence why we need a sequel!), but it definitely added a depth to the story as we didn't know as much as Seth didn't know. 



Technology

Seth finds a 'coffin' in his bedroom, which he soon figures out is what he came out of. After meeting his friends, he finds out that the whole world was put into these coffins to live out an alternative life. A life that was ultimately better than the one they were living in previously. Initially, they went 'online' and 'offline' and lived between their lives, but before long the population moved permanently 'online', with only the janitors left behind to ensure they stayed there. They had pipes to feed and water them, pipes to remove their waste, and the technology became so advanced that women were able to give birth in the real world, and for it to be emulated in the online world. 

This exploration of an 'online' and 'offline' world is an exaggerated version of how we live today. Social media is such a huge part of our lives, and it gives us the opportunity to portray a perfect version of ourselves. Seth was disconnected from the online world, as were his friends, but as they discover when and why their families decided to go online, they find out more and more secrets abot their lives. Seth finds out that he was living in a world where his brother was 'brought back to life in a virtual world', after his death in the real world, a death which his parents never came to terms with. It's heartbreaking when Seth discovers his brother is actually dead, and not just left injured from an accident years before, which is what he'd always thought previously.


Religion

Seth regularly questions whether he is in hell and whether the janitor is death. The representation of such Christian qualities is evident of his upbringing in England, but the fact he continuously forces the idea away as though it cannot be true shows his religious thoughts too. He would much rather feel hope from his own mind in the thoughts that he is controlling what happens, than rely on hope from something which he cannot be sure of. 

Again, this represents the thoughts of our teenage world today. More young adults are questions religion and what their beliefs are, just as Seth does. And Ness explores this beautifully. 


Whether you're a young adult or not, this book makes you think. It explores themes which aren't touched on very often and it explores them in a sensitive but upfront way. I just hope there's a sequel so that I can have my numerous questions answered. Patrick Ness? Do you care to tell us??

Thursday 8 October 2015

National Poetry Day...and some news!

I write today for two reasons. Firstly, to wish you all a happy National Poetry Day, I have acknowledged the day by thinking about the poems which most resonate with me, and I’ve chosen The Jabberwocky as my poem of choice. And secondly, to acknowledge our current transition to my favourite season, autumn. The season that brings me back to life.

The Jabberwocky

The Jabberwocky is from of my comfort read, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, more specifically, Through the Looking Glass. I love how the words, if I can even call Carroll’s wonderful jumbles of letters, words, just flow over each other. I love how in the book it’s written in mirror language, and it can’t just be read off the page. I love how it’s potentially one of the greatest nonsense poems of all time (sorry Mr Lear!).
 
 
I share Alice’s view of the poem, but I love the images it fills my head with, whether I can make sense of them or not:

“It seems very pretty," she said when she had finished it, "but it's rather hard to understand!" (You see she didn't like to confess, even to herself, that she couldn't make it out at all.) "Somehow it seems to fill my head with ideas—only I don't exactly know what they are! However, somebody killed something: that's clear, at any rate


The Jabberwocky

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

And as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! and through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

 
Autumn

Autumn is the season which pulls me out of that summer slump. I’m not a fan of summer; I’m a big fan of feeling cosy, something which summer cruelly steals away from me.

There’s something magical about autumn though. Not just the cliché of the leaves changing colour and the days getting shorter, although I do enjoy the experience; but more than that. There’s a crispness in the air which clears my mind and helps me to focus, something which I struggle with during the summer months. Almost like hibernating in reverse!

This autumn brings the return of conker searching, kicking up the leaves and jumping in puddles.

More significantly, it brings the start of my studies towards a BA (Hons) in English Literature and Creative Writing. I have been studying for two weeks now, and to have my mind so absorbed into a particular subject is really exciting for me. I’ll be studying part-time over the next 6 years, which seems like such a huge amount of time, but I know that it’ll be well worth the investment.

I decided to study for a degree for three reasons:

1. I have always had a small regret that I never attended university back when I was 18. Looking back, I wasn’t in the right frame of mind then, and definitely would not have got the results I wanted. Now I am determined to get the results that I want, and definitely in the right place to do so.

2. I think it’s important to set a good example to my children. Learning never stops, no matter how old you get. I hope that I inspire them to continue learning long after they have left the classroom behind.

3. As part of my career, a degree will improve my skills, increase my knowledge and allow me to progress.
 

So here I am, giddily enjoying autumn and the exciting things it brings for me. I pull on my scarf and coat, give a little smile, and wander away…

“Autumn days when the grass is jewelled and the silk inside a chestnut shell…”