Tuesday, 5 December 2017
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
To play along just do the following:
The Gauntlet by Karuna Riazi.
Readers tend to also be board game players, at least to some extent. I’m not necessarily the best example but invite me to an evening of Settlers or Ticket to Ride and I’ll probably turn up. I would, however, never want to actually live inside any of the games we play. And if you know Jumanji and / or Zathura, you can probably guess what is about to unfold here: A group of friends and family gets involved in a magic game, has to solve dangerous riddles and quests, grow personally and as a group, and save themselves from becoming trapped inside the game universe by the malicious spirit of the game (rather than the elements of the game becoming real in their homes like in the aforementioned titles).
So far so good, you might think, what else is new, we’ve seen this before. And you probably have. But I dare you to find all these elements in an adventure book of this calibre and in this constellation. I don’t want to comment on the fact that this is from a publishing imprint that specialises on books with a Muslim background apart from the fact that I’ve just mentioned it. The protagonists in the book are children like any other with the same learning curves and challenges. This is just another aspect of their character.
The siblings in this book are quite special to me because their development towards understanding and respecting each other is so very organic and beautifully executed. In a similar fashion, the friendship between the characters develops in interesting ways and I liked how this is shown over the course of the novel. It is to be expected if you’re familiar with this type of narration but even then the plot managed to surprise me and I often found myself racing along the text to see if the task could be completed in time.
Safe to say just as I would be one of the first to exit the stage in the Hunger Games I also wouldn’t be able to escape the Gauntlet. Luckily, readers have books to take us to the places that are too scary and dangerous to visit in real life and make us see and experience things that would probably scare and break any real person.
If you had the choice, would you rather be sucked into a board game world or have elements from such a board game appear in your home? And which game would you choose? Share your thoughts and teasers in the comments!
To play along just do the following:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
The Gauntlet by Karuna Riazi.
 |
| The Gauntlet – Salaam Reads |
It wasn’t a fair game anyway, when playing against someone much younger, and Farah was almost a teenager. She knew losing to Ahmad would build up his confidence and help her avoid his inevitable whining and wailing if he couldn’t claim victory.
— Prologue
“Um, guys? Do you feel something … weird?”
“We’re bunkering down in a sewer to avoid a sandstorm.” Farah sighed. “You’ll have to be more specific.”
— Chapter 14
Readers tend to also be board game players, at least to some extent. I’m not necessarily the best example but invite me to an evening of Settlers or Ticket to Ride and I’ll probably turn up. I would, however, never want to actually live inside any of the games we play. And if you know Jumanji and / or Zathura, you can probably guess what is about to unfold here: A group of friends and family gets involved in a magic game, has to solve dangerous riddles and quests, grow personally and as a group, and save themselves from becoming trapped inside the game universe by the malicious spirit of the game (rather than the elements of the game becoming real in their homes like in the aforementioned titles).
So far so good, you might think, what else is new, we’ve seen this before. And you probably have. But I dare you to find all these elements in an adventure book of this calibre and in this constellation. I don’t want to comment on the fact that this is from a publishing imprint that specialises on books with a Muslim background apart from the fact that I’ve just mentioned it. The protagonists in the book are children like any other with the same learning curves and challenges. This is just another aspect of their character.
The siblings in this book are quite special to me because their development towards understanding and respecting each other is so very organic and beautifully executed. In a similar fashion, the friendship between the characters develops in interesting ways and I liked how this is shown over the course of the novel. It is to be expected if you’re familiar with this type of narration but even then the plot managed to surprise me and I often found myself racing along the text to see if the task could be completed in time.
Safe to say just as I would be one of the first to exit the stage in the Hunger Games I also wouldn’t be able to escape the Gauntlet. Luckily, readers have books to take us to the places that are too scary and dangerous to visit in real life and make us see and experience things that would probably scare and break any real person.
If you had the choice, would you rather be sucked into a board game world or have elements from such a board game appear in your home? And which game would you choose? Share your thoughts and teasers in the comments!
Tuesday, 28 November 2017
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
To play along just do the following:
36 Questions That Changed My Mind About You by Vicki Grant.
Gather round, it’s story time … A short one, I promise: In 2015 I read an article in some magazine about an old study that had something to do with questions and people getting to know each other so well that they might fall in love over this. I thought something along the lines of that’s interesting and would somehow be a good foundation for a book. And then I promptly forgot about it. End of story.
But no! (Because otherwise, I couldn’t possibly remember when I read that article.) Earlier this year I came across the announcement of this sweet little book and due to the title recalled the article (I’m linking to it here, in case you’re interested). Science, Love, and YA Literature, really the perfect mix to tackle this story foundation. There are quite a few things that could go wrong in this scenario no matter how great the idea because even with the best material and possibly the best intentions and craft in mind and at hand humans have a great capacity to make a mess of things. Not naming names and luckily this book also doesn’t fall into that category.
This could have been a sweet and fluffy read that would have been perfectly entertaining but not necessarily memorable. Could have been, but the author chose to add another twist and throw together not one but two onion-layer-characters, even though you wouldn’t quite expect one of them to be like that from the beginning. I quite liked that twist of almost being trope-y and then opening the whole thing up. (Could you be any vaguer? – Why yes, but I’m trying to interest you in a book here.) I really didn’t want this to end apart from wanting to get to the end of the list of questions and thus getting to know both protagonists even better. So I suppose the 36 questions definitely worked for me in that I fell in love with the characters a little. Does it work on the protagonists? Will they be brutally honest? Will there be tears? Running away? Coming back? Different means of communication? And radio silence? Secrets? And discoveries? Or flying fish? Well, maybe.
Scientific verdict: Great idea taken a step further and well-executed. I’d be very interested in a follow-up study, aka a next book, even if it’s just a check in with those characters. Maybe a sort of spin-off, cameo, companion thing?
Published study results or no, I’d like to know if this really works. But what if it does. What if it doesn’t? Both could be really awkward. I might be curious enough but most likely not brave enough. What do you think? Share your thoughts and teasers in the comments!
To play along just do the following:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
36 Questions That Changed My Mind About You by Vicki Grant.
 |
| 36 Questions That Changed My Mind About You – Hot Key Books |
“You took Prince Charming by mistake.” Jeff raised his eyebrows. “Wonder what Dr. Freud would’ve said about that.”
— Chapter 1
“That’s the problem with parents. They keep turning out to be human.”
— Chapter 2
Gather round, it’s story time … A short one, I promise: In 2015 I read an article in some magazine about an old study that had something to do with questions and people getting to know each other so well that they might fall in love over this. I thought something along the lines of that’s interesting and would somehow be a good foundation for a book. And then I promptly forgot about it. End of story.
But no! (Because otherwise, I couldn’t possibly remember when I read that article.) Earlier this year I came across the announcement of this sweet little book and due to the title recalled the article (I’m linking to it here, in case you’re interested). Science, Love, and YA Literature, really the perfect mix to tackle this story foundation. There are quite a few things that could go wrong in this scenario no matter how great the idea because even with the best material and possibly the best intentions and craft in mind and at hand humans have a great capacity to make a mess of things. Not naming names and luckily this book also doesn’t fall into that category.
This could have been a sweet and fluffy read that would have been perfectly entertaining but not necessarily memorable. Could have been, but the author chose to add another twist and throw together not one but two onion-layer-characters, even though you wouldn’t quite expect one of them to be like that from the beginning. I quite liked that twist of almost being trope-y and then opening the whole thing up. (Could you be any vaguer? – Why yes, but I’m trying to interest you in a book here.) I really didn’t want this to end apart from wanting to get to the end of the list of questions and thus getting to know both protagonists even better. So I suppose the 36 questions definitely worked for me in that I fell in love with the characters a little. Does it work on the protagonists? Will they be brutally honest? Will there be tears? Running away? Coming back? Different means of communication? And radio silence? Secrets? And discoveries? Or flying fish? Well, maybe.
Scientific verdict: Great idea taken a step further and well-executed. I’d be very interested in a follow-up study, aka a next book, even if it’s just a check in with those characters. Maybe a sort of spin-off, cameo, companion thing?
Published study results or no, I’d like to know if this really works. But what if it does. What if it doesn’t? Both could be really awkward. I might be curious enough but most likely not brave enough. What do you think? Share your thoughts and teasers in the comments!
Tuesday, 21 November 2017
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
To play along just do the following:
The Silver Mask by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare.
Want to know one of my favourite English words? Penultimate. Not because I like the idea of things ending or being about to end. Just the look and sound of the word. And to be honest, it’s also kind of neat to use. Maybe not for the second book in a trilogy, that looks a little over the top, but for everything longer than that. So without further ado: the penultimate book in the Magisterium series.
There isn’t much that can be said about this book without severely spoiling the previous one. Let’s just say that the main character Call starts the book in a not very enviable place, gets rescued, and then goes to an even less enviable place … but with vastly improved company. Solitary fire to companionable frying pan so to say.
If you’ve read the previous book you’ll remember the heavy trauma and subsequent turmoil at the end. Rest assured, it gets worse before it gets a little better before things get really messed up. I can, without any spoiling, also quote the last sentence (not counting the epilogue), which perfectly describes the setup for the final book: Now what the heck are we going to do? Very good question, and I’m so looking forward to finding out. In the process of getting to that point, the story manages to be gripping and entertaining … and, of course, a little heart-breaking. What else was to be expected when you look at the names on the cover?
Imagine you could go to magic school, but would never be allowed to actually do any magic, would you still want to go? Share your thoughts and teasers in the comments.
To play along just do the following:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
The Silver Mask by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare.
 |
| The Silver Mask – Scholastic Press |
“I can’t believe your original escape plan requires another escape plan,” Jasper said. “You suck at escaping.”
Tamara fixed him with a glare. “I guess the more we escape, the better we’ get at it.”
— Chapter 5
“I didn’t see sense,” Call said. “He just threatened to kill me otherwise.”
— Chapter 13
Want to know one of my favourite English words? Penultimate. Not because I like the idea of things ending or being about to end. Just the look and sound of the word. And to be honest, it’s also kind of neat to use. Maybe not for the second book in a trilogy, that looks a little over the top, but for everything longer than that. So without further ado: the penultimate book in the Magisterium series.
There isn’t much that can be said about this book without severely spoiling the previous one. Let’s just say that the main character Call starts the book in a not very enviable place, gets rescued, and then goes to an even less enviable place … but with vastly improved company. Solitary fire to companionable frying pan so to say.
If you’ve read the previous book you’ll remember the heavy trauma and subsequent turmoil at the end. Rest assured, it gets worse before it gets a little better before things get really messed up. I can, without any spoiling, also quote the last sentence (not counting the epilogue), which perfectly describes the setup for the final book: Now what the heck are we going to do? Very good question, and I’m so looking forward to finding out. In the process of getting to that point, the story manages to be gripping and entertaining … and, of course, a little heart-breaking. What else was to be expected when you look at the names on the cover?
Imagine you could go to magic school, but would never be allowed to actually do any magic, would you still want to go? Share your thoughts and teasers in the comments.
Tuesday, 14 November 2017
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
To play along just do the following:
Timeless: Diego and the Rangers of the Vastlantic by Armand Baltazar.
Also long-ish … I’m getting wordy. Sorry? This book is also so worth talking about though. Maybe sorter next week.
Get ready for some heavy literature. Not because the book I chose for today is hard to read but because it is literally a heavy book. The page count clocks in at 624 pages, which in itself is already quite a number. Add to that the fact that this is a book originally intended for a younger teen audience and you’ll probably call the book people a mad bunch. And yet … this book also has very specific paper requests. If you take a look at the excerpt here, you’ll know why. Yes, this book needs art paper, because there are more than 150 full-colour photorealistic illustrations inside. This could just as easily have been an art book; the author as a former animations movie designer certainly could have stopped at that. Luckily, he didn’t but decided to fulfil his son’s wish for a story that includes pirates, robots, dinosaurs, Roman legionnaires, and steampunk. Wait, what? That sounds totally over the top and unrealistic? Well, at first it might seem that way but once you’ve read this book you’ll wonder whatever made you think like that.
The solution is not time travel but almost the very opposite: A total collapse of the space-time continuum. Suddenly, Victorian England exists right alongside the pre-historic age as well as the Golden Twenties or the far future. Of course, this couldn’t have worked well from the very start but about fifteen years after this time collision the different cultures have grudgingly accepted that they have to co-exist in this new age. Or most of them have because there are also those who would do anything, really anything, to revert this. Even if that means sacrificing the lives of a generation that in their eyes was never meant to be.
Enter our newly 13-year-old hero and the unlikely group of kids, who have to face some challenges and overcome their own differences, before they can call themselves friends and, most importantly, face the threat not only to their lives but to the future of the only world they’ve ever known.
What I liked about this book, apart from the A-mazing illustrations (seriously, they look like stills from a movie shot in UHD), is that the story also stands on its own. It would have been easy to rely on the novelty of this enormous illustrated book and have a mediocre story to accompany it. But the characters are well-defined, they have flaws (some almost shake-worthy-ly so), and learning curves. The story while itself not new per se (save dad, save the world) is told in an appealing and paced way that also makes you look at parallels in the real world. This story is based on a heap of history after all. There are comments on society and our present if you care to look for them, but not in a raised voice or preachy tone.You can just as easily read this as a straightforward adventure and be swept away by the storytelling, which sometimes is also carried out by the illustrations alone with no accompanying text whatsoever in a very graphic novel style.
A book like a movie and this really begs to make it to the big screen (and my computer screen, I really want to be able to fly a gravity board and race against Lucy or escape from a hoard of allosaurs. On second thought, I’ll also be content with a real gravity board and no dinosaurs, thank you.). In the meantime, I’ll be waiting for book two. Because while the plot stands on its own, the story is far from over.
Have you been introduced to a surprising accumulation of plot points recently? Or maybe a new to you way of storytelling? Share your thoughts and teasers in the comments.
To play along just do the following:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Timeless: Diego and the Rangers of the Vastlantic by Armand Baltazar.
 |
| Timeless – Katherine Tegen Books |
“Everyone will eat what your cook has prepared. That is an order.”
— Chapter 8
“Am I forgiven or what?”
Lucy punched him in the arm. “Perhaps.”
Ouch! Diego winced. She’d hit his sore shoulder. “Yeah, well, you sure don’t punch—”
“Don’t say ‘like a girl’ or I’m leaving.”
— Chapter 17
Also long-ish … I’m getting wordy. Sorry? This book is also so worth talking about though. Maybe sorter next week.
Get ready for some heavy literature. Not because the book I chose for today is hard to read but because it is literally a heavy book. The page count clocks in at 624 pages, which in itself is already quite a number. Add to that the fact that this is a book originally intended for a younger teen audience and you’ll probably call the book people a mad bunch. And yet … this book also has very specific paper requests. If you take a look at the excerpt here, you’ll know why. Yes, this book needs art paper, because there are more than 150 full-colour photorealistic illustrations inside. This could just as easily have been an art book; the author as a former animations movie designer certainly could have stopped at that. Luckily, he didn’t but decided to fulfil his son’s wish for a story that includes pirates, robots, dinosaurs, Roman legionnaires, and steampunk. Wait, what? That sounds totally over the top and unrealistic? Well, at first it might seem that way but once you’ve read this book you’ll wonder whatever made you think like that.
The solution is not time travel but almost the very opposite: A total collapse of the space-time continuum. Suddenly, Victorian England exists right alongside the pre-historic age as well as the Golden Twenties or the far future. Of course, this couldn’t have worked well from the very start but about fifteen years after this time collision the different cultures have grudgingly accepted that they have to co-exist in this new age. Or most of them have because there are also those who would do anything, really anything, to revert this. Even if that means sacrificing the lives of a generation that in their eyes was never meant to be.
Enter our newly 13-year-old hero and the unlikely group of kids, who have to face some challenges and overcome their own differences, before they can call themselves friends and, most importantly, face the threat not only to their lives but to the future of the only world they’ve ever known.
What I liked about this book, apart from the A-mazing illustrations (seriously, they look like stills from a movie shot in UHD), is that the story also stands on its own. It would have been easy to rely on the novelty of this enormous illustrated book and have a mediocre story to accompany it. But the characters are well-defined, they have flaws (some almost shake-worthy-ly so), and learning curves. The story while itself not new per se (save dad, save the world) is told in an appealing and paced way that also makes you look at parallels in the real world. This story is based on a heap of history after all. There are comments on society and our present if you care to look for them, but not in a raised voice or preachy tone.You can just as easily read this as a straightforward adventure and be swept away by the storytelling, which sometimes is also carried out by the illustrations alone with no accompanying text whatsoever in a very graphic novel style.
A book like a movie and this really begs to make it to the big screen (and my computer screen, I really want to be able to fly a gravity board and race against Lucy or escape from a hoard of allosaurs. On second thought, I’ll also be content with a real gravity board and no dinosaurs, thank you.). In the meantime, I’ll be waiting for book two. Because while the plot stands on its own, the story is far from over.
Have you been introduced to a surprising accumulation of plot points recently? Or maybe a new to you way of storytelling? Share your thoughts and teasers in the comments.
Tuesday, 7 November 2017
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
To play along just do the following:
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green.
This is going to be long-ish. I’m (not) sorry, but I find that I have a lot to say about this precious book. Short version: I really liked it and it has made me think and feel and consider quite a bit. It’s not TFiOS, it doesn’t try to be, and it most definitely doesn’t have to be as it is special and important in its own right.
Longer version: With some authors, you just know that when you pick up their books the likelihood of experiencing severe emotional or other trauma is relatively minimal. You’ll be entertained, have a pleasant read, maybe laugh a little and overall enjoy the book. And then there are authors like John Green, where you can be almost certain that you won’t be the same person you were at the end of the book.
Following up on something like The Fault in Our Stars is … I can’t even imagine the sort of pressure that must have been. This book already had so much weight to carry before it ever got anywhere and it does that beautifully in my opinion. Is it as good as TFiOS? I don’t know. I’d say it’s different. The two books won’t occupy the same place in my reader’s heart and that is okay because they really shouldn’t have to be compared. Someone said that while TFiOS is the book you push onto everyone to read it (like that quote from the book itself) TAtWD is more the book you want to cherish and secrete away. I can agree with that if we add that one still silently wants everyone to read it.
This book is extremely captivating, sometimes almost painfully so. John Green has a way with language that at the same time has you aware that the effect is designed just so and also wondering why you suddenly find yourself almost breathless from the emotional turmoil you’ve just been through. Of course, I cried. At one point I was racing against myself to read the ever more panicked thoughts and I physically had to get the book away from me for fear that my own thoughts on the matter might go somersaulting off the tracks. And I think that was the moment I finally understood the very real imagined danger the main character finds herself in.
Aza’s searching for that essential part of who she is while at the same time fearing about already being invaded by a force she’s helpless against. Or maybe it’s already too late. While the book doesn’t actually play upon some of the fears I have, it manages to strike a very close nerve and inspire almost the same terror. Most people will relate to the “Don’t think about a pink elephant right now” phenomenon, but being so entangled and mentally bound in your own thoughts that you are certain you cannot escape is a horror that is hard to describe. The language nerd in me especially liked the observations this book seemingly casually makes on the shortcomings and failures of language. We almost treat things as non-existent just because we don’t have an adequate way to name them and therefore share them with each other. Physical pain is to some extent relatable and thus we use this imagery to liken it to other experiences. If I say I feel a pressure on my chest like a hippo is sitting on it, you can probably relate although I’d wager neither of us has ever had an actual hippo sit on us. Yet for a feeling as sadly universal as grief words utterly fail us. Or me at least. Because even if everyone experiences physical pain differently it is still sort of the same whereas feelings are so deeply personal that unless you were able to co-inhabit my thoughts you will never know the exact shape of those feelings.
I can only say this is masterfully written. If you absolutely have to compare it to TFiOS then I would maybe try to frame it like this: Both books have a main character on a journey to themselves and both are to some degree betrayed by their very selves. One on the physical level as her body is actively trying to destroy itself and the other on the psychological level seeing that her mind is permanently working against her. Both main characters are to varying degrees successful in fighting against their challenges and live and thrive despite and in some twisted way also because of them. Both are stories of illnesses healthy people only ever wish to hear about in the past tense as something you overcome, but some stories just don’t work out that way. I bow to John Green for having written yet another of these difficult stories in a meaningful and impactful way.
Sort of p.s.: Here is the one aspect where I think German has a slight advantage over English: English has as far as I’m aware no farewell that also clearly conveys the connotation of an also meeting again. German has “(auf) Wiedersehen” which convolutedly literally translates to “(until) reunion/reencounter/see again”. There is “see you (soon)” and all that jazz, but that doesn’t quite ring true. I very much hope that there will be a “Wiedersehen” with John Green because I really like the things he has to say.
Which book has last irreversibly affected you? Share your thoughts and teasers in the comments!
To play along just do the following:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green.
 |
| Turtles All the Way Down – Dutton Books |
Who knows what lies I believe, or you do. Who knows what we shouldn’t doubt.
— Chapter 17
You get to pick the frame, you know? Maybe you don’t decide what’s in the picture, but you decide on the frame.
— Chapter 23
This is going to be long-ish. I’m (not) sorry, but I find that I have a lot to say about this precious book. Short version: I really liked it and it has made me think and feel and consider quite a bit. It’s not TFiOS, it doesn’t try to be, and it most definitely doesn’t have to be as it is special and important in its own right.
Longer version: With some authors, you just know that when you pick up their books the likelihood of experiencing severe emotional or other trauma is relatively minimal. You’ll be entertained, have a pleasant read, maybe laugh a little and overall enjoy the book. And then there are authors like John Green, where you can be almost certain that you won’t be the same person you were at the end of the book.
Following up on something like The Fault in Our Stars is … I can’t even imagine the sort of pressure that must have been. This book already had so much weight to carry before it ever got anywhere and it does that beautifully in my opinion. Is it as good as TFiOS? I don’t know. I’d say it’s different. The two books won’t occupy the same place in my reader’s heart and that is okay because they really shouldn’t have to be compared. Someone said that while TFiOS is the book you push onto everyone to read it (like that quote from the book itself) TAtWD is more the book you want to cherish and secrete away. I can agree with that if we add that one still silently wants everyone to read it.
This book is extremely captivating, sometimes almost painfully so. John Green has a way with language that at the same time has you aware that the effect is designed just so and also wondering why you suddenly find yourself almost breathless from the emotional turmoil you’ve just been through. Of course, I cried. At one point I was racing against myself to read the ever more panicked thoughts and I physically had to get the book away from me for fear that my own thoughts on the matter might go somersaulting off the tracks. And I think that was the moment I finally understood the very real imagined danger the main character finds herself in.
Aza’s searching for that essential part of who she is while at the same time fearing about already being invaded by a force she’s helpless against. Or maybe it’s already too late. While the book doesn’t actually play upon some of the fears I have, it manages to strike a very close nerve and inspire almost the same terror. Most people will relate to the “Don’t think about a pink elephant right now” phenomenon, but being so entangled and mentally bound in your own thoughts that you are certain you cannot escape is a horror that is hard to describe. The language nerd in me especially liked the observations this book seemingly casually makes on the shortcomings and failures of language. We almost treat things as non-existent just because we don’t have an adequate way to name them and therefore share them with each other. Physical pain is to some extent relatable and thus we use this imagery to liken it to other experiences. If I say I feel a pressure on my chest like a hippo is sitting on it, you can probably relate although I’d wager neither of us has ever had an actual hippo sit on us. Yet for a feeling as sadly universal as grief words utterly fail us. Or me at least. Because even if everyone experiences physical pain differently it is still sort of the same whereas feelings are so deeply personal that unless you were able to co-inhabit my thoughts you will never know the exact shape of those feelings.
I can only say this is masterfully written. If you absolutely have to compare it to TFiOS then I would maybe try to frame it like this: Both books have a main character on a journey to themselves and both are to some degree betrayed by their very selves. One on the physical level as her body is actively trying to destroy itself and the other on the psychological level seeing that her mind is permanently working against her. Both main characters are to varying degrees successful in fighting against their challenges and live and thrive despite and in some twisted way also because of them. Both are stories of illnesses healthy people only ever wish to hear about in the past tense as something you overcome, but some stories just don’t work out that way. I bow to John Green for having written yet another of these difficult stories in a meaningful and impactful way.
Sort of p.s.: Here is the one aspect where I think German has a slight advantage over English: English has as far as I’m aware no farewell that also clearly conveys the connotation of an also meeting again. German has “(auf) Wiedersehen” which convolutedly literally translates to “(until) reunion/reencounter/see again”. There is “see you (soon)” and all that jazz, but that doesn’t quite ring true. I very much hope that there will be a “Wiedersehen” with John Green because I really like the things he has to say.
Which book has last irreversibly affected you? Share your thoughts and teasers in the comments!
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