War – Page 2 – My Good Reads

‘Red Queen’ – Victoria Aveyard

Published in early 2015, I am kicking myself that it has taken me so long to feel in the place to read this debut novel.

‘Red Queen’ is the story of seventeen-year-old Mare Barrow, a Red who is regarded as lesser than the ruling Silver elite simply because of the colour of her blood. Mare is a petty thief who, through some pretty powerful intervention, finds herself living in the Royal Palace. As a threat to the established order – because she has a talent like nothing that has been seen before – Mare is given a whole new persona and so begins a very dangerous game.

From the opening pages of this book I was gripped.

Throughout the book we are introduced to numerous characters and situations that were quite compelling. Mare’s relationship with Prince Cal was an obvious device on which key plot elements hinge…but as you’re reading it, it doesn’t matter. As the characters get caught up in the machinations of the Silvers and the desire of the rebellious Red Guard to overthrow the status quo, it’s hard not to get caught in the intensity of this novel.

Mare, along with a number of characters, is but a pawn in a much bigger game and this novel perfectly illustrates the adage of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer.

While I was desperate to finish this book, I was also quite upset at the realisation that there will never again be a first meeting with a new favourite.

Front Lines – Michael Grant

Due for publication January 28th 2016, this is the first in a new series by Michael Grant and it imagines an alternative past, where women were allowed to fight in the war.

I received a digital copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for review.

While I’d enjoyed the other Michael Grant books I’d read, I was uncertain how this would work. The first thing I have to say is that I felt this brought together a great cast of characters – Rainy, Rio and Frangie – who all have their strengths, but are shaped by their experiences preparing for war. The idea that women could fight allowed Grant to also explore key themes/ideas about war and gender.

The initial part of the book that deals with the girls’ backgrounds and reasons for enlisting was necessary, but it really comes into its own when the new recruits are sent to fight. The account of the experience is unflinching, yet never gratuitous.

Captivating.

The Boy at the Top of the Mountain – John Boyne

While this is not a complex book, it deals confidently with complex issues.

The opening clearly establishes the relationship between Pierrot and his deaf Jewish friend – a relationship that will become highly significant later in the novel. When young Pierrot’s parents both die he is sent to an orphanage and we start to get a sense of what was happening in the background of the time. Slowly, we are immersed in a world where the rights of a group of people were eroded piece by piece.

As with ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’, seeing this world through the eyes of a child makes it more horrific. Initially I found the character of Pierrot more likeable than Bruno; this is why what happens subsequently is more chilling.

The discovery that Pierrot has an aunt who is willing to look after him seems a good thing. Following him on his journey we witness snapshots of the changing attitudes in Germany. These do not make for comfortable reading, though I wonder whether the significance of the events will be apparent to younger readers. When Pierrot arrives at the home where his aunt is housekeeper we think he will be safe. Sadly, the master of the house is Adolf Hitler and what we have to witness is the gradual erosion of the moral compass of this young boy.

Pieter (as he becomes known) comes to worship Herr Hitler and we watch helplessly as he is drawn into a world so different to the one his family envisaged for him. His betrayal of his aunt was a truly horrific scene to read, and the actions of Hitler leave us in no doubt that what we are witnessing is the destruction of innocence in one man’s pursuit of glory. Pieter becomes a character that is so twisted by the values/beliefs of those around him that he is quite repellent at stages. Ultimately, he is still a child at the close of the novel and Boyne is careful to make clear that while Pieter has committed some unspeakable acts he is very much a product of his environment, and not beyond salvation.

For me the most poignant moment came after Hitler’s death when Herta leaves and speaks to Pieter of what will happen now: “you have many years ahead of you to come to terms with your complicity in these matters. Just don’t ever tell yourself that you didn’t know…That would be the worst crime of all.”

Reading about such a subject is not, and nor can it be, pleasant, but I feel this is a book that deserves to be read.