Allegra Goodman, “The Other Side of the Island”

You know I love a good dystopia story, and this one is a cross between “The Giver” and “Brave New World,” with a dash of “Lost” thrown in for good measure.

The story follows Honor, a young girl who is just trying to fit in the not-so-distant future in the society built by Earth Mother and her Corporation. The book hints at a worldwide flood and chaos and war that ensued, tampered only by a Corporation that built an enclosure—a ceiling replacing the lost ozone layer—to protect citizens of earth. The weather and society are highly regulated, but there are dissidents, led by the Forecaster, who are likely to become disappeared if discovered.

THE LOWDOWN
Published: September 2008, 88 pp.
Obtained via: Free table at work
Date started: 4.14.08
Date finished: 4.17.08
What I liked: Goodman created an intriguing world with conflicts that play to modern concerns such as the environment. I think kids might identify with this story more than they would, say, “Brave New World.”
What I didn’t like: For all the great scene-setting and world-building there is, this book lacks emotional triggers. The main character disses her best friend when he becomes an orphan, but later on, there’s absolutely no payback or even a mention of how snobby she was acting. Maybe this was intentional—along with the clinical phrasing; everything is in simple, declarative sentences—to reflect how sanitized the society is. Also, because of the scenario, the book at times comes off as anti-environmentalist.
What I learned: Don’t try to ceil the earth. And that the scariest thing for an American is the loss of self-determination.

Chris Ware, “Acme Novelty Library, Vol. 18″

I was disappointed that Ware discontinued the Rusty Brown story line he started in the 16th and 17th volumes, but it’s still good stuff. You might have read part of these Building Stories when they appeared in the New York Times Sunday Magazine a few years ago.

THE LOWDOWN
Published: 2007, 56 pp.
Obtained via: Comix Experience, San Francisco
Date started: 1.11.08
Date finished: 1.12.08
What I liked: Intricate, introspective, meticulous and depressing. The Building Stories focus on a young woman with a prosthetic leg and her loneliness, tied in with stories of the building she lives in.
What I didn’t like: I want more Rusty Brown.
What I learned: Chris Ware can’t draw fast enough for me to be satisfied.

Jeffrey Eugenides, “The Virgin Suicides”

I love this writer, and the movie based on this book was pretty good, too.

THE LOWDOWN
Published: 1993, 250 pp.
Obtained via: Jason
Date started: 4.5.08
Date finished: 4.10.08
What I liked: It’s another example of first-person plural narration that works really well. It also reminds me of the writearound technique magazine writers use when they can’t interview the subject of their story (see “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold” by Gay Talese).
What I didn’t like: No complaints, although I think I would have understood the book differently if I hadn’t seen the movie (and hadn’t had the Air soundtrack running through my head the entire time).
What I learned: Sofia Coppola did a kickin’ job on the adaptation.