Going too far (by Jennifer Echols)

The fact that the cat sort of forgot to give this book a review may say it all… Seriously: the cat forgot about reading this book…um, last week… which goes to show that it’s fairly forgettable.

Anyway, wild bad-ass chick Meg – blue hair and all – likes getting drunk and doing guys. Yup, that’s the start of this MTV book. But then, she goes that one step too far when she and her guy for the night and their 2 friends decide to go on the railway bridge… They get stopped by a cop, John After, who doesn’t turn out to be a 40-year-old has been guy with 14 children and wife at home, but a 19-year-old stud who used to be in one of Meg’s classes the previous year. The story then focuses on how John makes some kind of deal with the DA that Meg and the other 3  (but one of them just gets out of it because of daddy-o, who’s got some pull) do some kind of community service. Meg’s punishment? Driving around with Officer After for a week… And yes ::::insert big sigh here::::: Officer John is the love interest…. Who has zilch chemistry with the main character… who’s annoying, stupid and every kind of unbelievable. This book also has a myriad of predictabilities, and all kinds of wannabe shock factors (like that pesky plot device aka “the hard past that just has to make you feel oh sorry for the main character”?? What’s that all about? Reader manipulation much!) . But it just didn’t work at all for the cat who kept rolling her eyes at the things that were being described.

Nope, this is not my thing. Johnafter didn’t make me swoon (like e.g. Sarah Dessen’s love interests often do!). Meg didn’t make me think there was so much more besides her being annoying and obnoxious . And Jennifer Echols’ writing – though not bad in itself – doesn’t make me forget that the story is predictable ánd over the top at the same time!

The Last Summer of the Death Warriors (by Francisco X. Stork)

The Last Summer of the Death Warriors is Francisco X. Stork‘s follow-up novel to the highly acclaimed Marcelo in the Real World, which had left the cat with an only so-so feeling. In this novel, however, Stork does deliver where Marcelo fell a little bit short. This time around it’s all heart and honesty.

Pancho Sanchez is a 17-year-old orphan from New Mexico. After his father and sister’s untimely death, he is sent to St. Anthony’s orphanage.   Pancho doesn’t think he will stay long at St Anthony’s.  This is because Pancho strongly belies that his mentally disabled sister Rosa was killed and he wants to avenge her death, no matter what. While at St. Anthony’s, Pancho meets D.Q., Daniel Quentin, a more than inquisitive boy with cancer, who – besides having to deal with the cancer – has his own set of problems (an absent mother who now wants to save her son from cancer using all means possible), but who’s dead set on not whining about them, courtesy of the Manifesto he’s writing: the Death Warrior Manifesto. A true Death Warrior loves life and lives life to the fullest, even if that means a more timely death.

Just like in Marcelo in the Real World, Stork is exploring some big questions, in this case whether to carry your burdens alone or to share them with others. Also, not just because of the names of the two protagonists, there’s an unquestionable link with the classic picaresque tale of Don Quixote de la Mancha, with D.Q.  as the insatiable chatterer about all things and Pancho as his more common ground counterpart. Both protagonists, though, fight their own set of enemies, both external as well as internal.

The Last Summer of the Death Warriors feels like a more heartfelt novel than its predecessor. Much of this is because of the forceful voice of the protagonist: a voice that is restraint and compelling, yet bursting with emotions at the same time. Through Pancho’s voice Stork shows us some of the most essential things in life: the importance of friendship and making a commitment to life!

The Fault in Our Stars (by John Green)

In probably the most anticipated book of 2012 – the release date of The Fault in Our Stars was even moved up 5 months  just because nerdfighters were waiting for it so badly – John Green yet again asks some truly universal and existential questions about love, life and the human condition but manages to transcend his typical John Green-ness, by letting in an abundance of genuine emotions and showing a personal and sensitive side to his writing hitherto not revealed in his previous work.

A Monster Calls (by Patrick Ness & Jim Kay – inspired by an idea of Siobhan Dowd)

“A thing of beauty is a joy forever,” a famous poet once said. What the cat is holding here is a thing of beauty that will not only offer joy, but most importantly solace forever. A Monster Calls is the novel written by Patrick Ness and illustrated by Jim Kay,  that was inspired by an idea of Siobhan Dowd, who died from cancer in 2007.

Patrick Ness asks the reader in his introduction of this comforting and respectful novel to ‘run with the story’, to spread the word, to never let the legacy Siobhan – or any writer – left behind , die,  because an author’s spirit is as much in his/words as it is in his/her ideas. The idea here is one taken from real life, a boy who has to try to come to terms with his mother dying from cancer.

13-year-old Conor keeps on having the same dream. He is visited by a Monster, who is both formidable and terrifying.  Haunting too,… yes definitely, yet strangely comforting, especially when the Monster – part giant, part yew tree (brilliantly drawn by Jim Kay!) – urges Conor on to show his rage (Conor completely obliterates his grandmother’s living room as a result). The allegorical Monster is also a voice to listen to, even more urgently when it has 3 tales to tell Conor, before Conor himself has to tell his tale of truth. The parable-like tales confuse Conor, who is already confused enough by the not knowing. Not knowing why his grandmother would be there in his house, not knowing why his (otherwise absent) father would come over from America: his mother is just going through another treatment, and soon things will go back to normal. Except, this time, of course, it is different.

Even if you manage to disregard the actual history of how this book came about, and the wonderful result in terms of the writing, you will have to conclude that the artifact “A Monster Calls” is masterfully executed. It is literally a thing of beauty that you’re holding in your hand.  The magnificent black and white illustrations by Jim Kay serve to enhance the reading experience and succeed as such, but they could easily stand on themselves to tell a similar story. They are that powerful. However, the sum is definitely greater than its parts. There are other adjectives that could be applied to the work as a whole: respectful, powerful, sad, comforting, truthful… It’s all of these things. More than anything it is an experience for the reader.[1]

A Monster Calls is a collaborative work of art. It may have sprung from idea by Siobhan Dowd, but the words by Patrick Ness and the illustrations by Jim Kay have given the idea wings and a spirit. If the reader is willing to take it on, there’s a chance for eternity here. It is a thing of beauty, it’s a comfort and a treat… Do not miss this! Like Patrick Ness says: run with it.

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[1] As a reader, when you are inspired by what you read and see in A Monster Calls, please do pick up Siobhan Dowd’s other works (the cat highly recommends Bog Child), do pick up Patrick Ness’ superb Chaos Walking trilogy. A Monster Calls breathes a bit of both, but the “proper” work of both of these writers is well worth reading.

My Sister’s Keeper (by Jodi Picoult)

First, I don’t go looking for these multiple POV stories, but somehow they all just ended up on my plate these past few weeks. Second, before anyone asks, I didn’t see the movie, nor did I know there even was a movie made of Jodi Picoult’s novel about a 13-year-old girl looking for medical emancipation from her parents. It’s not like I would consciously watch a Cameron Diaz movie!