Capricious

Capricious is the sequel to Audacious by Gabrielle Prendergast. Every page is populated by beautiful verse. The poetry of it delights me. The imagery and stream of consciousness flow in a way that convincingly portrays the angst of teen life.

I felt it begun too abruptly, jumping right into her loss of virginity. The rest of the book I loved the gritty bits of desire and drugs but they were always framed successfully by her quirky observations of the world. The first page and chapter only work well if you’ve read the first book – which is unfortunate.

I can forgive this false step because of the mastery in the rest of the writing. From comparing a bikini wax to the chopping down of rain forests to the musings about loss of faith, Prendergast makes words into art with fantastic diction and tempo.

Often flawed characters are the most endearing. Ella’s questionable morals and decisions such as juggling two men don’t make the reader hate her because of the way Prendergast writes her internal struggle. She is finding pieces of what she needs in each of the young men- but neither of them is capable of making her feel whole. I think the struggle to understand relationships and love is well played out. The narrator is not a shining role model for teens, but feels like a real person shaped by her traumas, hopes and fears.

One of my favourite passages was where she describes the bus kneeling in supplication for Marika. The girl who’s disabilities don’t detract from her beauty and queenly personality. At one point she describes school as a “dystopian death match” with students writing essays in the blood of their classmates. The competitive nature of high school is reflected on repeatedly- comparing students to coyotes who are fighting for territory and dominance. This is a novel that tackles the tough topics of peer pressure, addiction, religion, relationships, illness, and depression. It doesn’t choose one above others and feel forced or didactic. Instead it succeeds in demonstrating how all the issues can pile up, drowning the people who are surrounded by varied struggles.

Miracleville

* I received Miracleville by Monique Polak as a submission for the YABA

This novel was clearly well-intentioned. It speaks to inclusiveness, involves an inter-faith couple, forgives past mistakes and has a positive representation of religion. I see the merits of such a book and I think turning a story of a tragedy into a feel good coming of age tale does take some doing.

That being said…. it just didn’t do it for me. The characters were over the top, the dialogue wasn’t natural enough and one plot point was very very icky.

It was a noble attempt that others will enjoy but I think my qualms with religion may have tainted my reading of it.

The Whole Truth

I received Kit Pearson’s novel The Whole Truth from the publisher as a submission for the young adult book award I’m on the jury of.

I’m conflicted about what age this book is best for. The character is young, and the writing has an old fashioned formality that I think will appeal to readers of the American Girl/Canadian Girl series. However, the novel deals with complex themes such as morality, the depression, prejudice and religion. I think tweens are probably the ones who will enjoy it the most. This could potentially disqualify it from the award but I did enjoy it and would recommend it to teens who are looking for “clean” such as the Mennonite families I get at the library.

I thought Polly’s denial about what happened to her father and her difficulty understanding her sister’s changing attitudes as she grows up was realistic and well written. Bullying and poverty were dealt with in a serious but not too depressing way. I thought the tiny “romance” subplot was icky due to age difference.