Book Review: Half World, by Hiromi Goto
This was the December selection for the Permanent Floating YA Diversity Book Club. The theme of the month was YA fantasy with non-white protagonists, by authors of color. Half World was, in fact, the book I voted for, and having read it, I was not disappointed!
A long time ago, the book tells us, there were once three realms. The Realm of the Flesh, for the Living. The Realm of Spirits, for those who'd moved on. And Half World: a kind of limbo or purgatory, where the newly dead would relive their traumas and unfinished business, till they were able to let go and become Spirit. Once, the realms were all interconnected. Then, they were sundered, each falling into grim decay. But legends say that the realms might become reconnected again, if a child can be born in Half World, where nothing is born and nothing dies.
Fourteen years ago, Melanie Tamaki's mother escaped Half World to the Realm of the Flesh - our world or something very much like it - while pregnant with Melanie. At the start of the book, Melanie comes home and finds that her mother is gone, dragged back to Half World by the sinister Mr. Glueskin, one of its most twisted residents. Melanie is faced with an ultimatum: go to Half World herself, or lose her mother forever.
One of the best things about this book is the world Goto creates. Half World is very vivid and very, very creepy, full of denizens that are both repugnant and pitiable, some morphed partway into animals, others still carrying marks of their death and suffering. Even their psychology is at once recognizable and broken down. There's something about it which really does feel otherworldly to the reader - a little bit like Miyazaki's Spirited Away, but without the beauty. The little details, like the fact that everything and everyone except for Melanie is in black-and-white only heightens this feel.
The other best thing is the protagonist. One of the things that bugs me the most about a lot of 'child with a destiny' stories is how nonentitous the protagonists are. They tend to be good at stuff, and otherwise bland, succeeding largely because destiny says so. They may have gifts and skills, but rarely significant flaws. And then, there's Melanie, who's fat, not terribly smart, and socially awkward. None of those are informed traits, all really are a part of who she is, the choices she makes and the obstacles she has to overcome. She's also brave, determined, kind if occasionally capable of being petty, and knows she can't afford to fail. She loves her mother and is willing to go to semi-literal hell for her. She's real, and I love her! Melanie's parents are also treated as extremely messed up, but still real and likable people, which only added to the realism and my liking for this book.
Is the book perfect? No. There is some stilted syntax, especially early on, as well as an over-reliance on italics and capitalization for emphasis, which should have been taken out in the editorial process. There's also a scene featuring bullies early on - and I like bullies in fiction about as much as the Nostalgia Critic does. These bullies aren't even introduced as people, and they contribute nothing to the actual story, except showcasing that Melanie is, indeed, socially awkward, which would and did come through just fine in the narration. They're unnecessary and should have been cut.
On the other hand, there are some really nice subtle moments, like the one where Melanie misremembers a piece of information. She just goes from thinking one name to thinking another, so that the reader thinks for a moment that there was an editorial error. Goto never says she forgot, and I love that she never hammered it home. I also love that Melanie actually goes and gets help, before rushing off on her own. How many YA protagonists actually think to do that, huh?
As an added bonus for the book club readers and others, Ms. Wei, who helps Melanie, is a lesbian. Her sexuality and mourning for her late partner aren't made a fuss over, but instead treated with dignity and respect.
I would highly recommend Half World to readers looking for something a little different and fresher in their YA fantasy. I'll definitely be picking up some of Goto's other books, myself.
A long time ago, the book tells us, there were once three realms. The Realm of the Flesh, for the Living. The Realm of Spirits, for those who'd moved on. And Half World: a kind of limbo or purgatory, where the newly dead would relive their traumas and unfinished business, till they were able to let go and become Spirit. Once, the realms were all interconnected. Then, they were sundered, each falling into grim decay. But legends say that the realms might become reconnected again, if a child can be born in Half World, where nothing is born and nothing dies.
Fourteen years ago, Melanie Tamaki's mother escaped Half World to the Realm of the Flesh - our world or something very much like it - while pregnant with Melanie. At the start of the book, Melanie comes home and finds that her mother is gone, dragged back to Half World by the sinister Mr. Glueskin, one of its most twisted residents. Melanie is faced with an ultimatum: go to Half World herself, or lose her mother forever.
One of the best things about this book is the world Goto creates. Half World is very vivid and very, very creepy, full of denizens that are both repugnant and pitiable, some morphed partway into animals, others still carrying marks of their death and suffering. Even their psychology is at once recognizable and broken down. There's something about it which really does feel otherworldly to the reader - a little bit like Miyazaki's Spirited Away, but without the beauty. The little details, like the fact that everything and everyone except for Melanie is in black-and-white only heightens this feel.
The other best thing is the protagonist. One of the things that bugs me the most about a lot of 'child with a destiny' stories is how nonentitous the protagonists are. They tend to be good at stuff, and otherwise bland, succeeding largely because destiny says so. They may have gifts and skills, but rarely significant flaws. And then, there's Melanie, who's fat, not terribly smart, and socially awkward. None of those are informed traits, all really are a part of who she is, the choices she makes and the obstacles she has to overcome. She's also brave, determined, kind if occasionally capable of being petty, and knows she can't afford to fail. She loves her mother and is willing to go to semi-literal hell for her. She's real, and I love her! Melanie's parents are also treated as extremely messed up, but still real and likable people, which only added to the realism and my liking for this book.
Is the book perfect? No. There is some stilted syntax, especially early on, as well as an over-reliance on italics and capitalization for emphasis, which should have been taken out in the editorial process. There's also a scene featuring bullies early on - and I like bullies in fiction about as much as the Nostalgia Critic does. These bullies aren't even introduced as people, and they contribute nothing to the actual story, except showcasing that Melanie is, indeed, socially awkward, which would and did come through just fine in the narration. They're unnecessary and should have been cut.
On the other hand, there are some really nice subtle moments, like the one where Melanie misremembers a piece of information. She just goes from thinking one name to thinking another, so that the reader thinks for a moment that there was an editorial error. Goto never says she forgot, and I love that she never hammered it home. I also love that Melanie actually goes and gets help, before rushing off on her own. How many YA protagonists actually think to do that, huh?
As an added bonus for the book club readers and others, Ms. Wei, who helps Melanie, is a lesbian. Her sexuality and mourning for her late partner aren't made a fuss over, but instead treated with dignity and respect.
I would highly recommend Half World to readers looking for something a little different and fresher in their YA fantasy. I'll definitely be picking up some of Goto's other books, myself.