Nothing

"Nothing matters. I have known that for a long time. So nothing is worth doing. I just realized that."

Nothing, by Janne Teller, is a Danish novel that’s told in a way that those Nords do best: creepy, stark, and haunting. The descriptions and dialogue are straight-to-the-point, and the author never deviates from this rule. Sometimes one sentence is more powerful than ten.

The novel centers around Gerda, an intelligent Danish teen, and her friends. These adolescents try to find meaning in their lives after another peer, Pierre Anthon, climbs into a tree, and proclaims (in a true nihilist fashion) that there is no meaning to life.  Of course, Gerda’s journey to find meaning isn’t whimsical or light-hearted; rather, it is dark and demonstrates the savage nature of the human psyche. Somewhere, on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Jack would approve of Gerda and co.'s actions.

I feel that this book is more appropriate for adults than for teenagers. The content might be hard to understand without a philosophical context. Brush up on  your Nietzsche before reading!

This book offers insight into an end of innocence that every adult feels in their life. Read it, and remember when you lost your childhood bliss too.

5/5

Information:

Hardcover, 227 pages

Published February 9th 2010 by Atheneum

another teen novel

Yes, I finished reading another teen novel. I'll post my review later on, but for now, a little information about the author.

The sewage line backed up, and flooded our basement. Yes, we had about 3 inches of  fetid water all over the basement floor, and it destroyed a lot. Right now, my common-law and I are currently in the process of cleaning it up. Since we’re on the break, and I need something to take my mind of the crappy situation (ha ha), I’m going to finally review New Moon.

Well, as you already know New Moon is a continuation of the Twilight saga. The plot continues to revolve around everyone’s favourite manchild vampire, Edward Cullen, and the simpering object of his thirsty affection, Bella Swan. In this book, Edward flees after a certain incident, and leaves a heartbroken Bella to pick up the pieces. Any teenager with a good sense of angst and melodrama will adore such a book.

I’ve heard a lot of criticism about the melodramatic nature of the plot. Critics disliked the fact that Bella’s life seemed to end when Edward left; however, as someone who suffered through high school breakups and sees them all the time with her students, I can say that life does seem to end after a traumatic romantic separation. You have days where everything seems meaningless, and you want to pine away. I thought this was a realistic feature of the novel. Personally, I felt the plotlines involving Italy, the Volturi, and the werewolves were the less interesting aspects of this novel.

Our characters continue to act very much in the same way. Bella continues her self-absorbed obsession with the Cullen family, and continues to tempt males with her amaaaaaaaaaaaaazing beauty (honestly, I don't know what they see in her - she's boring!). Edward continues to be the perfect period piece man and loves the whining of the damsel. Jacob, while transformed into a gang werewolf, is still naive and powerless against Bella's wiles. Finally, dear ol' Dad remains doting and completely clueless. Nothing new here. Seriously.

With this novel, Meyers has been able to write another fast-paced best-seller. This book doesn’t ask any major existential questions or journey beyond simple plotlines and basic themes; yet, there is something endearing about New Moon. I would recommend it.

Ok, back to cleaning the basement.

3/5

Information:

New Moon (The Twilight Saga) Stephenie Meyer Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (2009), Edition: 1 Reprint, Mass Market Paperback, 576 pages

Fixing Delilah Hannaford

Whenever I read a teen novel, I ask myself, “Will my kids enjoy this book? Is there enough drama, tension, romance, and angst in here that they will be able to relate to? Is this a quality book for teens?”  And, when reading Fixing Delilah Hannaford, I asked myself these same questions. Thankfully, all the questions were answered in the affirmative – this novel is the quintessential great read for adolescents.

Our protagonist, Delilah Hannaford, is troubled. She’s been caught shoplifting, cutting class, and going around with a “non-boyfriend”. The only route to her redemption lies in taking a cathartic family vacation to Maine, and dealing with not only her grandmother’s death but also unanswered family skeletons. Of course, no summer is complete without a cute boy, so Delilah meets one, and romance ensues. I won’t give away the ending, but I will say that Delilah becomes more mature as the summer progresses.

The author, Sarah Ockler, has written a quality novel. This book is powerful, enticing, and moving. I would recommend it to any  young audience, or any adult who has an interest in teen literature.

4/5

Information:

Fixing Delilah

Sarah Ockler

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (2010), Edition: 1, Hardcover, 320 pages

Book Two: Twilight

I have a confession: I bit the bullet, and read Twilight.

Yes, I’ve now joined the hordes of other girls and women who have wasted their time reading about vampire romance. I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve even read this book, given that I’ve made scorching comments about the “sexy vampire” genre in the past. Of course, now I realize that I’m simply unable to resist the temptation of Edward Cullen and his godlike appearance.

Ha ha.

Anyway.

We all know about the plot of this novel, right? If not, it’s pretty basic. Girl moves to small town. Girl is soooooooo beautiful and amazing that everyone falls in love with her, including a turn-of-the-century man/boy vampire.  Girl and vamp become friends, and eventually get together to exchange some chaste kisses. Boy vamp thirts for her blood (symbolic much?) but avoids the temptation of “biting” her. Girl gets introduced to vampire culture, and learns that there are bad AND good vampires. Girl gets into danger, but escapes. Girl and vampire live somewhat happily ever after, but remain celibate. As I said, basic plot, and certainly didn’t introduce anything new into the literary world, but Meyers is able to sell lots.

Meyers does an apt job at creating a romance sans  the great monster of premarital sex. The restrained nature of the relationship between Bella and Edward reminds me more of a Victorian gothic love story, such as Jane Eyre, than the modern love stories of today. The relationship of Bella and Edward is based off words, staring, and certainly lacks in carnal passion (except when they do a couple of kisses).  These two teenagers have to hold their desires in check, and it doesn’t really seem to bother them. As former teenager, I know that the restraint is a rather unusual in relationships, and thus their relationship seems more of an ideal than a reality.

As you can guess, I don’t feel that Meyers doesn’t write great “literature”, but I will admit that Meyers is perfectly able to churn out a best-seller. The language is basic and accessible to anyone. In other words, you don’t have to be an intellectual to read this. Meyers does a great job, at describing things; although, her descriptions grow a bit old when she repeats the same phrases over and over again (such as “angelic”, “marble”, “godlike”, et cetera). There is enough tension, sexual or otherwise, to keep the reader wanting to go on. Despite these plusses, Meyers is unable to write a truly compelling story, I believe, given that her plot and character development are weak.

Bella Swann, the protagonist, was dull.  At the start of the novel, we see a teenager with some rebellion and spark in her personality. She dislikes dancing, feels awkward, and views herself as being almost grotesque. She reminded me of myself as a teenager! Yet, magically in the town of Forks, Bella becomes a beautiful girl who the boys are unable to resist. I think her allure goes to her head, because by the time she and Edward get together, she’s an obsessive and infatuated shrew. In less than a hundred pages, she manages to turn into a girl who is weak-minded and boyfriend obsessed. Her life revolves around her boyfriend, so much so, in fact, that she’s willing to sacrifice her 17 year-old self in order to spend eternity with him. She is constantly thinking about him, and gazing at him admiring his beauty. Yawn. Needless to say, I feel sorry for her friends, and she bores me as a person.

In comparison, I found Edward Cullen to be the more compelling character. He whines a lot less than Bella, and seems to be more emotionally mature than our heroine. I suppose that this emotional maturity stems from the fact that he has been alive for more than one hundred years. Cullen is also an ideal man given that he is respectful, devoted, and dutiful to his love. I think these aspects of his personality are what sends hearts a-flutter.

It took me about four hours to tear through Twilight, and then, despite any reservations, I started reading New Moon. Apparently, I’m full-fledged member of the Stephenie Meyers’ fan club now.

Twilight and New Moon

Well, I just finished reading Twilight and New Moon. Apparently I betrayed all I hold dear and true by reading said books. Anyway, they were catchy and ok. I'll do a more formal review later.