Book Thoughts: The Casual Vacancy

Title: The Casual Vacancy
Author: J.K. Rowling
*Imported from tumblr*

I knew going in that this was going to be very different from Harry Potter, and I was okay with that. Thirty pages in, I was horrified — most of the characters were frustratingly unlikeable people, and there was almost as much swearing as there was conversation in the dialogue. I gave it a couple more chapters but was unconvinced that I would finish it.

And then… I kept reading. I was still kind of disgusted by a lot of the characters, but at the same time I understood why they did what they did. I’ve seen it described as “dark and gritty" but I’ve also seen it described as “brutally honest," and I think both descriptions are accurate for this book. It is a brutally honest portrayal of the dark and gritty parts of life that we like to ignore, although I felt that the happiness that people often manage to find in everyday life was underrepresented. (That, in fact, is my biggest complaint about the book.) But I dare anyone to read this book and come away unchanged.

Depressing, this book certainly is. Also very adult in content in many ways, and yet there are teen characters whose lives are portrayed accurately. Anyway, I’ve lost the thread: depressing, but also honest and thought-provoking and beautifully written and above all, powerful. Not one to read lightly, certainly, but one I am glad to have read.

Book Thoughts: Rage

Title: Rage
Author: Jackie Morse Kessler
Series: Riders of the Apocalypse #2

I liked this one so much more than the first book in the series. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the first book, but I liked this one so much more. The characters seemed to have a whole new depth and Missy's internal struggle with War was just wow.

There were moments where I had to wonder whether high school students are really so cruel to each other -- peeing on her gym bag, really? My high school experience was vastly different and while there was bullying, it was much more subtle. Still, exaggerated situations aside, I felt like Missy's struggle was very real and portrayed beautifully. Ms. Kessler has a way with words.

Melissa Miller is such a great character. I loved that she was so involved with the soccer team; so many times, self-injurers in teen fiction are portrayed as having nothing at all except cutting, and Missy's not like that. She is more than a cutter, she's a person who cuts. And placing that in the fantastical context of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse made it that much easier to understand.

You don't have to read Hunger before this one (although that's the order they were written in); this one stands perfectly well on its own. But once you read this one, you'll want to read more of Ms. Kessler's writing. And if you weren't a fan of Hunger, read this one anyway. So good!