It's tough writing annotations for books that you've never read. Furthermore it's difficult to write them in a way that will appeal to teens. Note to self: do not use "schoolish" book report terms such as "protagonist," "climax," "conveys," "realistic portrayal".... You get the idea.
It is also easy to get into the trap of glamorizing all the drama inherent in these works. You find yourself writing over and over things like, "and their lives will be forever changed by what she discovers," or "the consequences will be tragic and life altering" or "his actions will have disastrous consequences" or "her life is spinning out of control." But hey, isn't that what being a teen is all about? Bring on the angst!
Here are two titles that I've read this week that are shortlisted for the CLA YA Fiction Award this year:
Swimming in the Monsoon Sea by Shyam Selvadurai
Highly over-rated. Yes, it is dealing with a boy discovering his sexuality (he falls in love with his male cousin)...yes, the setting is fascinating (Sri Lanka, 1980, monsoon season)...yes, the literary element of mirroring Amrith's inner turmoil with the raging weather and the drama of the school production of Othello is clever (though contrived) ...and yes, it has a beautiful cover.
BUT...
I found the prose to be stilted, the suspense was weak as the plot meandered along, and Amrith is an unlikeable figure. He is often mean and small and in fact, he almost kills his female "sister" holding her struggle body beneath the water in sheer rage. We don't have to like the protagonist, but their actions should make sense...where did all this rage come from? It doesn't grow or develop in an authentic way. The character development was weak, with so many vague figures. And lastly, when the book closes, Amrith decides to keep the knowlege of his sexuality to himself for the time being. Okay, fine. But the inner workings of his mind and his thoughts on this issue are cloudy and uninteresting. He spends a few hours huddled in a beach shack thinking about this self revelation and that's it. Life goes on? Hmmm.
Okay, part II later today...
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