artsy musings of a bibliophile

Sana

Review: Falling into Place by Amy Zhang

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AZFIP

ABOUT THE BOOK

Falling into Place by Amy Zhang
young adult contemporary published by Greenwillow Books on September 9th, 2014

On the day Liz Emerson tries to die, they had reviewed Newton’s laws of motion in physics class. Then, after school, she put them into practice by running her Mercedes off the road.

Why? Why did Liz Emerson decide that the world would be better off without her? Why did she give up? Vividly told by an unexpected and surprising narrator, this heartbreaking and nonlinear novel pieces together the short and devastating life of Meridian High’s most popular junior girl. Mass, acceleration, momentum, force—Liz didn’t understand it in physics, and even as her Mercedes hurtles toward the tree, she doesn’t understand it now. How do we impact one another? How do our actions reverberate? What does it mean to be a friend? To love someone? To be a daughter? Or a mother? Is life truly more than cause and effect?

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The Musing Mind: Flawed Isn’t (Necessarily) Bad

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Ponderings with little bursts of cartoon art.

character flaws [ˈkariktər flôs]: Stuff that make up characters that we end up having complicated feelings for.

I was scrolling through Maggie Stiefvater’s tumblr the other day (it’s become somewhat of a habit ever since I started reading The Raven Cycle series last December), when something grabbed my attention. A sentence that stayed with me hours after I read the post. Someone had asked Stiefvater her thoughts on Vladimir Nabokov’s stance that a good reader is one who is impartial to the story and the characters in it. Along with her response regarding what she expects from a good reader and what she thinks about Nabokov’s stance as a writer herself, Stiefvater went on to point out the things that makes a good reader. She said, ‘remember that a flawed character is not necessarily a bad character.’

That sentence resonated with me. There’s so much talk about wrong things that characters do because they’re just bad, bad, bad and must be hated because of those things. But they aren’t bad, they’re just flawed. Being gullible doesn’t make a character bad, only flawed. There are countless flaws in the gene pool of characters that aren’t necessarily bad unless they’re portrayed to be. Moreover, most of it is associated with female characters. Readers tend to chalk it up to more bad than flawed which I find hard to swallow. A flawed character makes the story interesting while a bad character just leaves a bad taste behind. This is not to say that flawed can’t be bad, it can be. But more often than not, the opposite is taken to be true when it isn’t.

Garfield only be a troublemaker of sorts. (Source)

Flawed is Just More Interesting

A perfect human being doesn’t exist however, there are ideals who exist on earth and on the page. We know what makes us good and what makes us bad but we don’t know that about anyone else. Sometimes we don’t even know what makes us good or bad, let alone anyone else. Yet it’s much easier to get a good character than a bad one. It’s easier to be bad but it’s harder to understand their reasoning. It’s harder to be good but it’s easier to understand their reasoning. If a character wants to save the world, we accept it because damn, the world needs all the saving it can get. Yet we can’t seem to indulge a character who wants to destroy it because we think they should just go die instead.
Life is flawed by design and each one of us grow up with some sense of judgement that’s not always black and white. All of us have baggage that we bring with us whenever we read a book, then there are our perceptions that shape the way we look at characters and judge them. I’ve always tried to keep an open mind when it comes to books because preconceived notions along with my baggage and perceptions is just too much to handle.

Everyone has those. (Source)

Duality is Key

The difference between a flawed character and a bad one is that a bad character has none of the duality and all of the patheticity. Their flaws go deep and their lack of remorse deeper. There are many facets of flawed characters and not all of them end up on the same level of flawed. I like a rebellious character but I can’t handle a meek one. I’m much more likely to tolerate a callous character than a fickle one. It all comes down to what Stiefvater calls a ‘biased, emotional reader.’

Lazy is not a flaw, it’s someone else’s idea. (Source)

How to Characterize?

I don’t think it’s necessary for a bad character to have a good side if they just had a good reasoning for being bad. Or maybe not even then. It’s just that I’d rather read about flawed characters who create tensions, go after trouble, make mistakes, and may or may not manage to redeem themselves. I like characters who are sarcastic, blunt, intolerant, obsessive, anxious, and bold. It doesn’t really matter to me if they’re good or bad, flawed is good enough. I can even handle characters who are repulsive. But nice and bland is just dull and no.

Say yes to smartass. (Source)

So yes, flawed isn’t (necessarily) bad but flawed is engrossing and it makes the reader uncomfortable which is subjective and may not be everyone’s thing. While bad is just bad, flawed is messy and complicated and also many not be everyone’s thing (especially the deeply flawed). However, what Stiefvater says is also true, ‘there’s as much universality in emotional resonance as there is in style preference.’

Playlist: Alternative Summer

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Okay, not strictly alternative, but the vibe is pretty much alternative. Like, always. Or a mixture of alternative, electronic, and pop. For me, summer days are pretty relaxing and so I’m usually listening to songs during the late afternoons and while strolling in the garden late at nights.

I. CENTURIES  || FALL OUT BOY
This song give me chills. CHILLS. C. H. I. L. L. S.

II. FREE THE ANIMAL || SIA
Sia never fails to shock me with her music. Love how unrefined and nonconformist Free the Animal sounds.

III. TOY SOLDIERS || MARIANAS TRENCH
Man, summer or not, I’m never getting tired of this song.

IV. ANIMALS || MAROON 5
I just really like this song despite the slightly weird lyrics. It’s okay because it’s Adam Levine ha ha.

V. TOMORROW NEVER DIES || 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER
Sandra not-so-casually mentioned that this is her favorite 5SOS song and I agree with her which never hardly ever happens. I

VI. RIOT || S V Ē
Basically, Riot is could-totally-have-been-my-2014-summer-jam that I discovered too late. ‘Tis sad.


VII. BON VOYAGE || MARLENE
I basically love all of Marlene’s Indian Summer EP but man, this song is so upbeat and awesome.

VIII. WOLF BITE || OWL CITY
*solo dances*

XI. SUPERHEROES || THE SCRIPT
This song goes from a soft melody to an epic chorus and that is all.

X. UNCONSOLABLE || X AMBASSADORS
The kind of gritty song that I find irresistible.

XI. FIREPROOF || ONE DIRECTION
I just really, really like this song. You might say I have a thing for words sung-stretched too long in songs.

XII. WE’RE THE KIDS || PARADE OF LIGHTS
A road-trip-in-summer vibe alert.

XIII. DISPARATE YOUTH || SANTIGOLD
A lazy I-so-don’t-care-right-now kinda song.

XIV. INDIAN SUMMER || MARLENE
Perfect for everything summer.

Alternative Summer by Sana on Grooveshark

Review: Wildlife by Fiona Wood

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FWW

ABOUT THE BOOK

Wildlife by Fiona Wood
young adult realistic contemporary published by Little, Brown on September 16th, 2014
second book in the Six Impossible Things companion trilogy

During a semester in the wilderness, sixteen-year-old Sib expects the tough outdoor education program and the horrors of dorm life, but friendship drama and an unexpected romance with popular Ben Capaldi? That will take some navigating.

New girl Lou has zero interest in fitting in, or joining in. Still reeling from a loss that occurred almost a year ago, she just wants to be left alone. But as she witnesses a betrayal unfolding around Sib and her best friend Holly, Lou can’t help but be drawn back into the land of the living.

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Review: The Jewel by Amy Ewing

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AETJ

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Jewel by Amy Ewing
young adult fantasy dystopia published by HarperTeen on September 2nd, 2014
first book in The Lone City series

The Jewel means wealth, the Jewel means beauty—but for Violet, the Jewel means servitude. Born and raised in the Marsh, Violet finds herself living in the Jewel as a servant at the estate of the Duchess of the Lake. Addressed only by her number—#197—Violet is quickly thrown into the royal way of life. But behind its opulent and glittering facade, the Jewel hides its cruel and brutal truth, filled with violence, manipulation, and death.

Violet must accept the ugly realities of her life . . . all while trying to stay alive. But before she can accept her fate, Violet meets a handsome boy who is also under the Duchess’s control, and a forbidden love erupts. But their illicit affair has consequences, which will cost them both more than they bargained for. And toeing the line between being calculating and rebellious, Violet must decide what, and who, she is willing to risk for her own freedom.

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