The Universe and I
I have the best parents in the entire universe. I suppose every kid has said that once or twice, but I'm not a kid and this is the absolute truth. Let me rephrase that - I have the best parents I could possibly have. They were not always there and they didn't understand my every choice, but they gave me the most precious gift they could. Although they were separated before I was even born, together, my parents have a collection of books that puts the public library to shame. I learned to read when I was 4, almost 5, and my parents fed my book hunger ever since. While other teenage girls wanted their own credit card to buy clothes and shoes, my father gave me a credit line on my favorite bookstore. While my mother was working long office hours and only saw me during dinner, she left three books on my nightstand every Monday morning to be read within the week. They introduced me to my best friends and they gave me, as Dumas put it, the only thing no one could take away from me.
This week, I had the chance to read the test draft of Green by Hayley Anne Perkins and this is my review of it. You can find a summary of the plot here on Hayley's website and a much better review by Siobhan Nichols. You can also find her on Twitter and Facebook.
I read my first book when I was 5 years old. That book, Tistou of the Green Thumbs, taught me to discern what is great from what is average. Having a photographic memory, I can tell you what happens in every page of most books I've read. In a great book, I can tell you exactly what I felt when I read each scene. I remember precisely what I felt like when Tistou filled his father's gun factory with roses; when Lucy went too far into the wardrobe; when Hagrid said, "You're a wizard, Harry"; when Bernardo Soares said that if the heart could think, it would stop; and the view from a chestnut tree in Macondo. And I will always remember what it felt like when Lindy collapsed on the floor during the Spirit Week Lock-in.
Like Rowling, whose books marked my generation with Plataform 9 and 3/4, Perkins created a universe within ours behind a pair of green eyes with a ring of gold. My favorite thing about this story is how all the characters are real and relatable, despite the extraordinary circumstances of their lives. I went to High School with those kids. Lindy probably didn't have striking green eyes, but she loved History and hated Chemistry, she probably did things she didn't like to please her best friend and she wanted to skip school after an embarrassing event. Daniel was there too, and although he didn't wear a leather jacket, the seat next to him was always empty and I'm sure if I had paid more attention, I would see his eyes set on a single girl every day. Kameko was my friend, I loved Peter from a distance and I loved to hate our own version of Caitlin.
Hayley's imagery is striking. For the past three days, the end of spring outside my window was replaced with Autumn leaves falling and snow on my window sill. The eyes I knew to be a dull brown and the memories of mere 21 years were replaced with deep green and everything from an actual dinosaur to a groupie in the 1980's, going through things History forgot to teach me. The research put into this is extraordinary. Everything I learned to be my favorite myths from Greco-Roman culture came to life along with monsters that didn't grace my wildest nightmares and languages I didn't even know existed. The entire book is a delicious learning experience, from the mind of a Metempsyche to a healthy relationship between two kids who loved each other just as they are.
I didn't want to leave this universe after 500 pages. I'm still not sure I left it. I might be looking at green, black and teal eyes differently now. I might dream about a boy with a freckle on his Adam's apple and laughter that sounds like a bark, who treats me like I'm special and is surprisingly honest. All I know is that I'll be the first to buy this book when it comes out, I'll give my unborn daughter that first edition to read when she is old enough not to fear werewolves and I will always be in love with Lindy Cook and Daniel Haliburton.
This week, I had the chance to read the test draft of Green by Hayley Anne Perkins and this is my review of it. You can find a summary of the plot here on Hayley's website and a much better review by Siobhan Nichols. You can also find her on Twitter and Facebook.
I read my first book when I was 5 years old. That book, Tistou of the Green Thumbs, taught me to discern what is great from what is average. Having a photographic memory, I can tell you what happens in every page of most books I've read. In a great book, I can tell you exactly what I felt when I read each scene. I remember precisely what I felt like when Tistou filled his father's gun factory with roses; when Lucy went too far into the wardrobe; when Hagrid said, "You're a wizard, Harry"; when Bernardo Soares said that if the heart could think, it would stop; and the view from a chestnut tree in Macondo. And I will always remember what it felt like when Lindy collapsed on the floor during the Spirit Week Lock-in.
Like Rowling, whose books marked my generation with Plataform 9 and 3/4, Perkins created a universe within ours behind a pair of green eyes with a ring of gold. My favorite thing about this story is how all the characters are real and relatable, despite the extraordinary circumstances of their lives. I went to High School with those kids. Lindy probably didn't have striking green eyes, but she loved History and hated Chemistry, she probably did things she didn't like to please her best friend and she wanted to skip school after an embarrassing event. Daniel was there too, and although he didn't wear a leather jacket, the seat next to him was always empty and I'm sure if I had paid more attention, I would see his eyes set on a single girl every day. Kameko was my friend, I loved Peter from a distance and I loved to hate our own version of Caitlin.
Hayley's imagery is striking. For the past three days, the end of spring outside my window was replaced with Autumn leaves falling and snow on my window sill. The eyes I knew to be a dull brown and the memories of mere 21 years were replaced with deep green and everything from an actual dinosaur to a groupie in the 1980's, going through things History forgot to teach me. The research put into this is extraordinary. Everything I learned to be my favorite myths from Greco-Roman culture came to life along with monsters that didn't grace my wildest nightmares and languages I didn't even know existed. The entire book is a delicious learning experience, from the mind of a Metempsyche to a healthy relationship between two kids who loved each other just as they are.
I didn't want to leave this universe after 500 pages. I'm still not sure I left it. I might be looking at green, black and teal eyes differently now. I might dream about a boy with a freckle on his Adam's apple and laughter that sounds like a bark, who treats me like I'm special and is surprisingly honest. All I know is that I'll be the first to buy this book when it comes out, I'll give my unborn daughter that first edition to read when she is old enough not to fear werewolves and I will always be in love with Lindy Cook and Daniel Haliburton.