ASFJIASHFIAHSOF this book, guys. SO GOOD. Somehow stays true to Persuasion while at the same time the stakes are elevated unbelievably. And the world-ASFJIASHFIAHSOF this book, guys. SO GOOD. Somehow stays true to Persuasion while at the same time the stakes are elevated unbelievably. And the world-building! <3...more
All right, so it's no big secret: our fishy protagonist has stolen a hat. (At least he doesn't try to deny it, right?) Narrating his progress in one cAll right, so it's no big secret: our fishy protagonist has stolen a hat. (At least he doesn't try to deny it, right?) Narrating his progress in one continuous monologue, the fish makes his way through the pitch-black sea, with only rocks and seaweed to ground our progress through the negative space. The monologue is as simple as the illustration, and as fitting: "I know it's wrong to steal a hat," the fish explains. "I know it does not belong to me. But I am going to keep it. It was too small for him anyway. It fits me just right." Those last two lines are so perfect. <3
As the fish talks, we're shown the big fish in question. His eyes roll up to examine his empty head, then squint suspiciously as our narrator blithely says, "I stole it from a big fish... he probably won't know it was me who took it." It's all in the details, and with Klassen's singular illustration style, they carry the story.
Another recurring aspect that Klassen manipulates very well is the linear progression of the story. It's a constant chase that keeps our eye moving naturally to the right. And then the climax arrives, a full two-page spread drawing a veil of weeds between us and the action... until finally we see the tail of the big fish swimming away to the left, back to where he came from.
LOVE this cover. I'm not even sure why! Maybe the gray + red accents, the posture of the girl, the bits of people you can see in the background? And tLOVE this cover. I'm not even sure why! Maybe the gray + red accents, the posture of the girl, the bits of people you can see in the background? And that script font. <3...more
Can I admit I'm a little freaked out that Socrates only has one name? I know that's how it was done in those days, but it bugs me. I can't tell if it's his last name or his first name or what. And it can't be shortened--except to Sock, which is completely stupid. I want him to have a more familiar name--something laid back and modern, so I can relate to him better. So I stare at the picture in my book of the curly-bearded guy with the pug nose, and by the end of study hall, I name him Frank. Frank Socrates. Makes him more huggable. Makes his clothes easier to label for summer camp. F.S. (p. 53)
“What the hell happened to us, Dad? One minute we were hammering shit together in the garage, and then we just stopped.� (p. 258)
Let's start here: Wearing a toga to school is totally boss. Given free roam of the school in order to pick fights with anyone who looks willing is also totally boss. I mean, I'm usually Astrid Jones, pacifist poet type who doesn't usually pick fights outside of correcting your grammar. But now I'm Astrid Jones, recently out lesbian who just go back from being suspended for saying the F-word several times right in front of the vice principal. This is a little different than I'd imagined it all quarter. (p. 268)
The family is another high point. The sister dynamics between Ellis and Astrid are so, well, dynamic. Ups-and-downs spot their relationship but also extend to the other spheres of their lives, like school social statuses and how their parents treat them. And the parents: the mother and Astrid have such tense exchanges that are so hard to read but so important, because they need to be had. Both the mother and father develop and change. The father’s arc is shallower, and his smoking pot is somewhat handled more lightly than seems normal, but together they seem like an authentic, flawed couple.
Onto the actual coming-out: it’s dramatic and it’s satisfying—as it should be, with the build-up of the twisted emotions that's been happening so realistically for the past hundred or so pages. Mixed in with philosophy from Astrid's Humanities class, Ask the Passengers blends LGBTQ issues with philosophical statements ("Equality is obvious"; "Nobody's perfect") in perfect balance.
And I think that's the key word I'd use for this book: balance. Everything has its own place, including the friends turmoil, the sexual vs. caring side to a romantic relationship, and the brief passages narrating the stories of passengers in airplanes who Astrid sends her love to. The final passenger's story and interaction with Astrid is a little far-fetched, but with such a strong story behind it, I'll take it.
This was not my type of book. The first thing to note is the multitude of characters, and while Libba Bray carries them off successfully (in other worThis was not my type of book. The first thing to note is the multitude of characters, and while Libba Bray carries them off successfully (in other words, it's not overwhelming), none of them truly caused me to care about or like them. Admittedly, Evie, as the protagonist, does have a more detailed character, but it feels as though we're supposed to like the other characters based on their sad sob stories of the past alone, and not based on their actual personalities.
Religion is the driving force behind the antagonist, and it works: Naughty John's and his father's fanaticism is portrayed clearly with the omniscient POV scenes. However, this results in a complete loss of mystery; we're no longer held in suspense over who the murderer is. So the reader ends up simply waiting for the next few murders to be discovered and for a solution to be found. Tension still exists in some action scenes, though (particularly one where Evie, Sam Lloyd and Jericho investigate a church by pretending to be a cuckolded husband and wife and cousin).
The best aspects of the book are the setting -- Bray incorporates Roaring Twenties' slang and describes the street scene with skill -- and the romance(s), which are all a little wobbly on their feet and therefore extremely authentic. But the final pages are frustrating: the conclusion seems too quick and neat, and yet a dozen more pages afterward are used to foreshadow future books' conflicts heavy-handedly. ("The storm is coming", intone two crazy cat ladies.)
Finally, the reader knows that the Diviners are this group of people with special powers, but none of the characters realize this fact. Thus, what's the point of the title?
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