The Island

Title: The Island

Author: Olivia Levez
Publisher: Rock the Boat
Publication date: March 2016
Format: Paperback
Source: ARC

Having read a couple of books from Rock the Boat last year I jumped at the chance to receive one of their new books to review. I chose “The Island” because I read “Lord of the Flies” for my GCSE and thought it would be interesting to compare the two.

Frances, “only people I like call me Fran”, has done something terrible. So terrible that, in her own words, she is a monster. She has been given the chance of joining a new project for first time offenders, working with communities on a remote Indonesian island rebuilding their environment whilst learning survival skills. However the tiny plane carrying the group to the island crashes into the sea during a storm. Frances survives the crash and lands alone, or so she thinks, on a deserted island. Having failed to pay attention during the training sessions she struggles at first, but soon discovers an inner strength which helps her to survive and also to come to terms with her past.

At first Frances comes across as an unsympathetic character. She is rude and aggressive to everyone around her, appearing to take pleasure in hurting those who are trying to help her. Then, as the story flashes back and forth, we start to learn about her life before she lands on the island and what has made her into the monster she believes herself to be. As she starts to develop her survival skills she becomes the person she could have been if she had been given a better start in life. There are still flashes of the old aggressive Frances, but these happen less often. She begins to come to terms with what has happened to her and finally has hope for her future.

I loved this book. The writing is poetical and so beautiful. Each chapter is short, sometimes only a couple of lines, but tells you more in a few words than great long paragraphs could. As you get to know Frances you can't help but feel sympathy for her and want her to do well. I so wanted her to make it back so she could have a fresh start back with her beloved little brother. However Levez doesn't take the easy, more obvious options. Some people may be disappointed that there isn't a neat tidy ending, but I think the book is much better for it. I would have felt let down if it had ended any other way. I can't wait to read what Levez has to offer us in the future.

One

I read One several weeks ago but I have been having great difficulty writing this review. I really wanted to do justice to such a wonderful, powerful book that it was hard to put into words. I could have just written I love it again and again to fill the page, but that wouldn't be of much use to anyone else. I hope I have done it justice.

 

Title: One

Author: Sarah Crossan
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication date: August 2015
Format: Hardback
Source: Library copy

One is the story of Grace and Tippi, 16 year old conjoined twins who, in the words of Grace, have 'two heads, two hearts, two sets of lungs and kidneys, four arms and a pair of fully functioning legs'. When they walk they need crutches to support themselves. At the start of the book their mother tells them that they will be going to a private school, having been home schooled all their lives. At school they have to cope with the stares of other pupils, but they also make friends for the first time and Grace falls in love. It is also the story of their family who all have their own problems to deal with.

One is told in free verse from Grace's point of view and is written in the present tense. The book is presented as a series of poems, each with their own title, that, together, make a single story. A story that is so beautifully told that you want to read it again immediately. I found myself reading certain verses again and again. Writing a story in verse is a brave choice, because every word becomes so much more important, along with the breaks in between. I hadn't really thought about how powerful spaces between words are until I read this. It is also possible to repeat a phrase again and again which would just look wrong in prose. In One it is used to great effect and can be heartbreaking. This is such a beautiful book. I loved it so much that, having borrowed it from my local library, I have had to buy my own copy so that I can read it again in the future.

The Next Together

Title: The Next Together
Author: Lauren James
Publisher: Walker Books
Published: 2015
Format: Paperback
Source: My own copy

Katherine and Matthew meet, fall in love and change the course of history, again and again, with one or both dying in the process. So what do they need to do to break the cycle? 'The Next Together' covers four of these meetings during the siege of Carlisle in 1745, the Crimean War in 1854, 2019 and 2039. They play a vital role in preventing catastrophes, but why do they keep being born over and over again and who is controlling their lives?

The book jumps back and forth through time, but it is easy to keep track because a different font is used for each period and the time and place is listed at the start of each chapter. I really liked the fonts used because they fitted the period described. I could open the book at any page and know immediately where Katherine and Matthew were in time. The story is told in the third person for the most part, but for 2019 hand written notes, texts and emails between the two allow the reader to eavesdrop on what is happening. It was interesting to see the part that changing technology played throughout and to consider how different the story would be if that technology had been available in the earlier periods. Lauren James has clearly researched the historical periods thoroughly, but hasn't allowed herself to be obsessed with accuracy at the expense of a good story.

I loved this book, the idea is brilliant and I was kept gripped to the end. And what an ending, the very last page opened up a whole new line for the story to follow. I found myself thinking, 'oooh does that mean what I think it does?' It also hinted at other periods that are still to be covered. I am really looking forward to the sequel 'The Last Beginning' coming out to find out if my ideas are correct, although I'm not sure if I can wait a whole year.