In Which We Discuss The Tenth Circle

Warning; This Post Contains Spoilers for The Tenth Circle.

Daniel Stone is a perfectly nice, normal, suburban man. His wife is a college professor, so, as a comic book artist, he works from home and takes care of their daughter, Trixie, who is fourteen years old, and madly in love with her first boyfriend, Jason.

Or so her parents believe. Like most teenagers, Trixie needs her space, and her privacy, and to this end, has begun giving her parents information on a need-to-know basis. What they don't need to know is that she and Jason broke up. And Trixie will do anything to get him back.

So, she attends a party at her friend Zephyr's house, with the sole intention of flirting with everyone possible in order to make Jason jealous. This is one of those teenage parties where the soul objective is to 'hook up' with anyone or everyone. It's the kind of party where games like Rainbow are played. In Rainbow, each girl wears a different coloured lipstick, and gives oral sex to random guys. To put it crudely, the boy with the most decorated cock at the end of the evening wins.

Trixie isn't entirely comfortable with this, and drinks a little more than she intended to. By the end of the evening, she, Zephyr, Moss – Jason's friend, and Zephyr's love interest – and Jason end up playing strip poker. After a few awkward scenes, Zephyr and Moss end up upstairs, and Trixie is crying in Jason's arms in the living room. And that's when it happens. That's when he rapes her.

The news that Jason Underhill has been charged with rape sweeps through the small town. Jason is the golden boy, the star hockey player, the one with the bright and shining future, and a hockey scholarship just waiting for him.

Daniel Stone, Trixie's father, is furious. For years, since he met Trixie's mother, Laura, he's been trying to control his temper, and hide his past. Trixie has no idea that the gentle father she knows was once a dangerous rebel, that her mother was attracted to him solely because of the danger. Daniel's fear of becoming someone he doesn't want to be, of his daughter not recognising that person, comes through in his artwork, some of which is shown at the start of every chapter.

Daniel is currently working on a comic book called The Tenth Circle, loosely based on Dante's Inferno, which his wife has always been interested in. Dante's Inferno describes the nine levels of Hell, and similarly, Daniel's comic shows his main character, Duncan, traversing those nine circles of Hell in order to rescue his daughter ('Tracey'). When afraid or in danger, Duncan will turn into some kind of animal, in order to escape or defend himself. He has no control over this, and he knows that each time it happens he becomes a little less human. His one fear, like Daniel's, is that he will become someone his daughter will no longer recognise.

The theme of what Dante considers to be a sin is also something that is focused on in the plot. The first circle of hell, according to Dante, is reserved for those who did not believe in or worship their god. The second circle is reserved for adulterers and those who were overcome by lust, the third is for gluttons, the fourth is for the avaricious and the miserly who hoarded possessions, and the prodigal, who squandered them. The fifth circle is reserved for the wrathful, and sullen or slothful. In Picoult's interpretation, then, the first five circles are for those whose own desires were foremost to them, who only harmed or betrayed others as a side effect, not as their main intention. The sixth circle is for the heretics, while the seventh is for the violent, those who committed suicide, the profligate, and those who were violent against god, nature or art. Those two are for people who harmed other people or themselves intentionally through indulging their own desires. The eighth circle is for those who deliberately and knowingly committed evil; corrupt politicians and church officials, false prophets, seducers, thieves, and various falsifiers. The ninth circle is reserved for those who committed the worst crimes – the traitors. Cain, Antenor, Ptolemy, Judas, and Lucifer himself, the ultimate traitor.

Daniel somewhat agrees with Dante's classification of sins, with giving in to your own desires but intending harm as the least, and betraying a loved one the worst. But it's what he, and his character, find in the tenth circle of hell, something Dante never wrote about, which serves as the culmination of this theme. Laura considers this, too. Who worse to betray than a loved one?

Laura Stone, is wracked with guilt over what happened to Trixie. She has been conducting an extra-marital affair, which is why she wasn't at home or answering her phone that night. She was breaking it off, but that doesn't make her feel any better for being with him when she should have been with her daughter, especially when she discovers that Daniel knew, or rather suspected, before she told him, anyway.

Trixie Stone has taken to inflicting physical pain on herself in order to forget her mental and emotional pain. She's also become more interested in Daniel's past. He grew up in Alaska, in an Inuit village. Picoult takes this opportunity to examine the culture of the Eskimo people, in much the same way as she did the Amish in Plain Truth, although not to such an extent.

The book is written completely in third person. Picoult uses a similar style to Terry Pratchett to zoom-in on a certain characters thoughts, which leads to something interesting. Jason is convinced that Trixie is just trying to take revenge on him. Because he didn't rape her. They had sex, but he honestly believes that it was, in no way, rape. But Trixie believes that it was. And these characters can't talk to each other for all sorts of medical and legal reasons. They each assume that the other is lying, although the reader can see that the truth is far more complicated than that.

Still, as the trial gets closer, things start to heat up. Trixie is victimized by her classmates, who either believes that she's making it up, or assume that being raped makes her a 'whore'. One girl tells her "I wish Jason Underhill would rape me".

Things aren't going so easy for Jason, either. Although most of the class on his side, he's confined to his home for legal reasons. Trixie's father is after him. And he loses his hockey scholarship. Jason becomes more and more depressed, which leads to a somewhat surprising turn of events.

The Tenth Circle is both gripping and absorbing. I read it in one night, unable to put it down. Since it's in third person, it's impossible to get as close to the characters as in, for instance, My Sister's Keeper, which was told entirely in the first person. Still, the characters are far more dramatic, and the inclusion of the Inuit culture makes it a lot more interesting. The comic book, which is shown between chapters, a device used similarly in Sheri S. Tepper's Gate To Woman's Country (although that was a play, not a comic book), is pretty good quality, although fairly short for a comic book. As an extra, letters are hidden within the pages of the artwork, revealing a quote, which Picoult feels, sums up the novel.

In Which We Discuss Plain Truth

Philadelphia lawyer, Ellie Hathaway is somewhat dissatisfied with her life and career. There's no reason why she should be – she's won almost every case she's come up against. She's kept murderers, rapists, and various other criminals out of jail. She's successfully suppressed evidence and won all her cases. She's just won yet another high profile case, although it does not improve her feelings. As Ellie describes it;

"My nightmares were full of children. Specifically, six little girls – two dark-haired, four fair, their knees sticking out beneath the plaid uniform jumper of St Ambrose's School, their hands twisting in their laps. I watched them grow up in an instant, you see; at the very moment a jury foreman acquitted my client, the elementary school principle who had molested them."

Her personal life isn't ideal, either. She always assumed that she'd have children by this point, and the fact that motherhood currently isn't an option is something that nags at her as her bodily clock ticks away. Despite being with her partner for eight years now, they aren't married, or even close to being so, and the face of the child she never had haunts her dreams.

However, for now, Ellie is remaining optimistic. Her partner, Stephen, has set up an interview for her at his firm, with a chance to be made senior partner. When her car's engine conks out on the highway, she is lucky not to be killed. But all Stephen can do is ask why she's late, and tell her "that's what taxi's are for."

So, Ellie decides to take a hiatus from her life and her career, and goes to stay with her aunt Leda, near Lancaster County, in Southeast Pennsylvania. She soon finds she's dropped straight into a murder trial, and despite her personal feelings, ends up helping the Amish girl accused, eighteen-year-old Katie Fisher.

A dead newborn was recently found at the Fisher family's farm. Medical experts say that it appears that the baby may have been smothered, and to local detective, Lizzie Munro, it seems that the most likely culprit would be the mother of the child. There is no obvious mother, though, until Katie is seen to be bleeding, and is forcefully taken to hospital. Despite all medical evidence, Katie continues insisting that she was never pregnant.

Katie's family, particularly her father, is traditionally Amish. When Lizzie asks if his daughter may have been pregnant, Aaron Fisher denies it, on the grounds that Katie was unmarried. When Lizzie gently points out that marriage is not a prerequisite for pregnancy, Aaron replies, "To us, it is."

Much of the book focuses on Amish culture, particularly as Ellie is required to stay at the Fisher's farm as Katie's guardian. I must confess, that my previous knowledge of the Amish faith comes, in it's entirety from Weird Al Yankovic's "Amish Paradise", which is definitely not the best source. However, subsequent research has shown that Picoult was pretty accurate in her portrayal. Lapsed Amish (practicing Amish deigned to comment) also say that she got it right.

The Amish characters in the book occupy a fairly wide variety of roles. Aaron Fisher, Katie's father, is tremendously strict, and hard on his family and himself. He goes far beyond what the ordnances require, and refuses to so much as acknowledge his lapsed son, Jacob.

Jacob wished to study beyond the eighth grade education Amish folk are normally given, and chose to do so rather than stay within his family. The Amish culture disapproves of individual achievement, which Jacob's study was seen as. However, although he was not a member of the faith, his father and his family were not required to forget him completely, and Sarah Fisher and her daughter, Katie, try their best to talk to him in secret.

Another character that left the Amish faith is Leda, both Katie and Ellie's aunt. Although she does not visit due to Aaron's strict views, she and Sarah are still in contact, and Leda provides the link between Ellie and Katie, at least at first.

Samuel Stolzfus, Katie's intended, is just a strong, atypical Amish man, trying to do what he believes is for the best. He occupies a similar role to Patrick in the film Saved! as far as portrayals of traditionally religious characters are concerned, and provides a stark contrast to Aaron.

The plot is told between a third-person viewpoint, with occasional first-person chapters from Ellie's point of view.

To be honest, I didn't find Ellie a sympathetic or truly believable person. Her obsession with a child is so great that she finds herself unable to truly sympathize with Katie, who she believes is guilty. I don't believe it. I don't believe it's possible to be so obsessed with motherhood that a person who would win cases for pedophiles and rapists would have difficulty arguing for someone accused of neonaticide. Of course, I'm young, and nowhere near to being a mother myself, and perhaps my opinion will change. But, for now, I just don't find it believable. Or rather, if I am to believe, then Ellie is hypocritical enough that I find myself unable to consider her a sympathetic character.

Jodi Picoult's writing is just as good and involving as in My Sister's Keeper although still not as witty or flowing as Sosnowski, another author on my mind, who wrote Vamped. For some reason I found this book slightly less enjoyable than My Sister's Keeper. It's most likely that the subject matter interested me less. There's also the fact that My Sister's Keeper focused more on the relationships between characters and was told by a wide variety, while Plain Truth is told only in third-person, or from the viewpoint of a character I didn't like very much.

However, just because I found the book less enjoyable doesn't mean that it was bad. On the contrary, I was unable to put it down, and am now reading it for the second time in as many weeks. I also picked up three more of Picoult's novels earlier, and, since hearing that Lifetime made Plain Truth into a film, I had the good fortune of accidentally and coincidentally tracking it down. Picoult made a new fan with My Sister's Keeper, and Plain Truth has only strengthened my respect for her writing.

In Which We Discuss Nineteen Minutes

Another repost, from that time I got really into Jodi Picoult. I'll be writing another post about her later, if I find the time.

Jodi Picoult is an immensely talented author, and she rarely disappoints her readers (note; I have since taken this back).

Nineteen Minutes, like all Picoult's other novels, demonstrates her established skill with dramatic wording, among other things. Take the opening paragraph after the prologue; after a litany of things that can be done in nineteen minutes, she ends with this chilling refrain;

"In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world or you can just jump off it.

In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge."

This kind of dramatic effect is seen in many other lines, as well as in the way Picoult's narrative moves quickly between various characters and plot lines, often ending on a dramatic line or semi-cliff-hanger, in a style similar to that of Terry Pratchett or Sheri Tepper.

However, these specific nineteen minutes are those that a teenage boy spends shooting his classmates, an idea which has roots in real life and has been explored in other books such as Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk About Kevin. Picoult has used complex links between the characters in order to explore the childhood and origins of those people involved, in order to establish how someone could reach that state. Specifically, the daughter of the judge assigned to the trial is a classmate of the shooter, and his mother was her mother's midwife, meaning that, in a not entirely dissimilar way to Sara's role in Picoult's other work, My Sister's Keeper, flashbacks on the part of the mother enables the history to be explained.

Unlike in My Sister's Keeper, or many of Picoult's other novels the book is written in third person, rather than having different parts of the story told in first person by different characters. This does allow more viewpoints to be heard, and, surprisingly, doesn't hinder the ability to get inside a characters head as one might expect it would. At times, though, it seems like the sheer amount of character's might overwhelm the reader, but, as always, Picoult manages to hold the threads of the story together with consummate skill, and the ending is fresh, intriguing, and, despite the element of mystery, falls into place perfectly.

Many of Picoult's books focus on the way the world can change in just a moment, with the majority of mystery of the book being how, why and what happened in that moment. Surprisingly, this novel doesn't focus on what happened during those specific nineteen minutes; instead it focuses on the years which built up to them.

A major theme in the book is that of bullying, and there's a very powerful scene where one of the bullies in question is put on the witness stand. He defends himself by claiming that his actions were "just a joke". The defence lawyer – Jordan McAfee, a recurring character who also defended Jack St Bride in Salem Falls – then questions him about specific events that happened over the years, ending each time with the question "so that was just a joke?"

It's the kind of scene any victim of bullying would love to see; their tormentor put on the stand and forced to answer for their actions. And it has an interesting effect. Although throughout the novel, the reader knows that the shooter is in the wrong, that killing a number of people is wrong, at this point it becomes clear that he isn't a monster. His peers, his classmates, and everyone who looked the other way are, because of their actions over the years, in no way on the moral high ground. Although he's in the wrong, the reader sympathises with and likes the character a lot better than they do his rather lacklustre peers, and those who let him down over the years.

A number of comparisons can be drawn between this novel and that of Salem Falls, mostly due to the sheer unfairness of the way the defendant is treated and viewed within the small community in which he lives. This book doesn't elicit the same sympathy for the victim as Salem Falls did – I caught myself checking the ending of that novel, something I never do, just to check that everything worked out okay – but it's not entirely dissimilar.

In summary, the novel is a fascinating look at what can drive someone to such an extreme action, and manages to elicit sympathy for someone who commits a crime many people would consider monstrous. The victim culture and the underlying theme of the effects that bullying can have on someone is very well thought out and adds a lot of depth to the novel. Unfortunately, Picoult's portrayal of Peter, one of the main characters, as a very stereotypical "computer nerd" is one of the things I didn't enjoy about the novel. It's extremely clichéd, and considering Picoult's disparaging comments about Wonder Woman fans as "really scary people who live in their parents' basement" and the heat she took over the remark, you think she would have thought twice of using such an outdated concept.

Still, that tiny element is not enough to detract from my enjoyment of the novel as a whole, and I don't think any fans will be disappointed by this latest work.

In Which We Discuss My Sister's Keeper

Yet another repost. There'll be an explanatory post once I'm fully updated.

When Kate Fitzgerald was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia at the age of two, her family's life was turned upside down. While her father, Brian concentrates on holding the family together, as well as his job, as a firefighter, and his hobby, astronomy, her mother, Sara becomes almost obsessed with Kate's health.

When Kate's elder brother Jesse is found not to be a suitable match, Sara almost gives up hope. That is, until a doctor says that another sibling might be a better match; as Sara observes, he's referring to a child she never had and didn't plan for. In light of the new events, Sara and Brian do plan a child; plan harder than ever before, in fact, as they genetically engineer their third child to be a perfect match for Kate, with the objective of her performing as a donor for her sister.

At first, all that is required from Anna (Andromeda, named by her father, after the constellation which is known as the chained maiden in English) is stem cells from her umbilical cord. Until, that is, Kate relapses.

From that point on, both Anna and Kate are constantly in and out of hospital. As Anna observes, she herself is not sick, but she might as well be. Kate needs blood and bone marrow, and although, as Anna observes, she never gave her permission as she was never actually asked for it, she goes along with these procedures. Until, at the age of sixteen (Anna is thirteen) Kate's kidneys start to fail, and Anna is expected to donate one of hers.

Kidney donation is a relatively simple procedure. Compared to, for instance, open-heart surgery. You're given anesthesia (something that has been given to Anna in order to help Kate many times), the risks of which include strokes, heart attacks and lung problems. As for the actual operation, there's a one in three thousand chance of dying on the operating table. Afterwards, you are hospitalized for four to seven days, although it actually takes more like six weeks to recover. And the long term risks include a increased chance of high blood pressure, a risk of complications with pregnancy, and the need to refrain from activities which could damage the remaining kidney.

It is this which triggers Anna's decision to sue her parents for medical emancipation. In short, for the rights to her own body.

Certain that no court in the world would force Anna to give up her kidney, and that her parents will fold before it even goes to trial, the lawyer she approaches, Campbell Alexander, agrees to take on the case, in exchange for Anna's polishing the doorknobs in his office, since she is unable to pay.

However, Sara is unable to even consider giving up this, which may be Kate's last chance, and as a former lawyer, decides to represent herself in court.

The story is told in chapters told through the first-person view of various characters; Anna, Jesse, Sara, and Brian Fitzgerald, Campbell Alexander, and Julia Romano. Interestingly, Kate is the one character whose opinion isn't shown, despite her being the central figure of the novel.

The Fitzgerald family are all, for want of a better phrase, fucked up. Sara is obsessed with keeping her family whole to the extent that she no longer cares if they're happy. Her response to any of Anna or Jesse's problems is, essentially, "Kate has cancer, isn't that more important?" Sometimes, yes, but not collectively, not every single time.

I'm afraid that I didn't find Sara Fitzgerald a very sympathetic character. I'm not sure if I'd feel differently if I were a mother myself, but I can't empathize with he point of view. Her conviction, that she knows best for everyone, is irritating, and somewhat selfish. I'm not sure if it's any less selfish that the 'self' she is centred on is, in fact, her daughter. Still, all in all, I didn't find her an entirely likable character.

Brian, the father of the family is a firefighter. Most of his sections explore his obsession with fire, and the ways in which his seeking to control it is symbolic of his relationship with his family. He seeks to control fire because it's something he can control, almost like an anorexia victim's attitude to food.

His son, Jesse has a similar reaction. Yet, instead of seeking to control fire he uses it as a method of destruction. He's eighteen years old, and has, for several years, been living in an apartment over the garage, apart from the family, although he does still eat with them. He observes himself that Kate's illness has turned him into a rebel, but doesn't seek to change the status quo so dramatically as Anna does. Nonetheless, he supports her in it.

Anna is completely torn. More than anything, she does not want to give her sister her kidney, for many reasons, more of which are revealed as the book goes on. However, Kate is her best friend; neither of them have been healthy long enough to become close to other people, especially since girls their own age tend to be a little afraid of Kate's illness. She also has to live with her family, despite everything. Most of all, though, it's her relationship with Sara that changes.

Although Brian understands their youngest daughter's feelings, Sara is fixated on curing Kate, and is convinced that Anna is only trying to get some attention. Mother and daughter are unable to understand each others point of view; but Sara is still Anna's mommy, and the confusion and lack of black and white areas apparent in the relationship and decisions made are described wonderfully.

Then there's Campbell Alexander, the lawyer. At first, he's sure that it will be an simple case, and that a decision will be reached before it even gets to court. He soon realises that it's not that easy. As Campbell gets to know Anna and her family better, more of his own life is revealed. Campbell's a tricky character, who hates being tied down. Although he owns a service dog (named Judge - as he explains, what lawyer wouldn't want to put a Judge in a cage every so often?), every single explanation he gives for it is different. The situation is even more complicated by the fact that it's a small town, and everybody knows everybody. The judge assigned to the case is one who has known the Fitzgeralds, and Campbell for years. Even worse, the guardian ad litem assigned to Anna is Julia Romano, Campbell's ex-girlfriend.

Julia's job as a GAL is to look out for Anna's best interests, since she's a minor filing a case against her family. She's also someone who gets close to Anna, since younger people can sometimes have trouble expressing themselves, and, in Anna's case, resisting the pressure of her mothers wishes. In other words, it seems that she's mostly there to describe how Anna and the others come across, since that's not shown during during individual chapters. Her relationship and various problems with Campbell also form a sub-plot, which doesn't really impinge on the main story.

Picoult's writing style is absorbing, and her dialogue is snappy. The characters all have their own personalities and relationships with each other. Although the use of various characters to tell different parts of the story can be tricky to pull off, each of Picoult's characters has such a unique voice that the reader is rarely confused (unlike, for instance, Gregory Maguire's Mirror, which used a similar technique rather less successfully).

The portrayal of a family, and the complicated relationships and feelings between them is accurate and true to life. Although Anna doesn't want to be a donor all her life, and she wants to feel like more than spare parts for Kate, her desire for this is a betrayal for the mother and sister she both loves and hates. The books opens with the sentence; In my first memory, I am three years old, and I am trying to kill my sister. It then continues with; As we got older, I didn't seem to exist, except in relation to her.

It's true that love and hate are very closely tied together, and the relationship between Anna and Kate is one of the best examples in modern fiction of such a relationship.

In summary, this book is moving, and deals well with a difficult issue. It's a fairly good length, and keeps you gripped until the ending. The differing opinions in the book are well presented, and can often be empathized with even if they are not fully agreed with.

The only fault I can find is with the ending, which seems rather too neat. However, the use of Kate's silence is a nice touch throughout the novel, and Picoult's use of dramatic tension is spell-binding.

In Which We Discuss Extra-large Tits and Rizlas

...along with Donkey Dick Movie Star and Flash Wanker.

Or, more specifically, Matt Beaumont. Even more specifically, The Book, the Film, the T-Shirt.

I've only read three of Beaumont's novels so far - e., Where There's a Will, and the afforementioned book, film, t-shirt (which is how it is going to be refered to from now on, because I am very lazy).

Excuse me, I'm just going to get on the library website and see what they can do about that.

...nope, it appears to be down for Easter.

That's the thing about the library. Generally, the opening hours are pretty good - 9am to 8pm most days, 9am to 5pm on Saturdays, and closed on Sundays. But, anything even close to a holiday, and they're off. I was quite surprised to find that they were open on Saturday, and, from what the librarian told me, I wasn't the only one. He reckoned they'd had about fifty calls querying whether they would be or not.

I'm not entirely sure why that should effect the website, but, apparently, that has Easter off too.

So, anyway. Matt Beaumont.

His first novel, e., was written in an epistolary style, that is, formed from various documents. It takes part at fictional ad agency, Miller Shanks, and consists of emails sent between employees, from the CEO down to the temp, and including one written by a cleaner.

Bookfilmt-shirt is written in a similar style, but merely switches between points of view, rather than written documents, which offers a little more freedom.

Once criticism often levelled at epistolary novels is that they can encourage laziness - when an author needs to explain something, they can just switch to another character.  Many authors simply avoid using one or more of the key characters, leaving those around them to simply guess at what they're thinking.  Jodi Picoult did it in My Sister's Keeper (the film of which kind of sucked, by the way), and Matt Beaumont does it here.  Pulls it off, too.

Quick note on the film of the book here since I'm not going to give it it's own post; although the book of My Sister's Keeper had an unusual, extremely unlikely ending, it worked for it.  It gave the book a fresher feel, made it a little more unusual.

Where I think the film suffered was, it changed that ending, and downplayed the legal parts, and some of the issues resulting from the court case, which was the book's other strength.  In the end it was just, basically, a made-for-TV movie about a kid with leukaemia (why yes, that is an About A Boy reference), with some famous faces in it.  Rather meh, really.

Anyway, extra-large tits and rizlas.

It's a little difficult to really describe the plot of bookfilmt-shirt, since there are so many different lines and subplots going on at once.  Each character has their own little one, some short, others arcing to the end of the novel.  Pretty much the only way to tell it is as it's written, which eventually ends with me saying "oh, just read it."  Which really is rather good advice, if I do say so myself.

I am going to have a go at summarizing the plot anyway, just because it would be rather lame if I didn't.

The book's about the making of an advert for Blackstock tires, an American company trying to make a name in Britain.  It stars Joe Strider and Rebecca Richards, young stars of Dawson's Creek-type show, All Our Lives Before Us.  Rebecca, a Brit, had been dating Joe (a yank), until he filmed Body Matter with Keven French (who also happens to be the director of the advert in question, since he and the adman go way back).  Joe's star is on the rise due to this, and he's holding that over Kevin, who believes that he needs to make Body Matter II in order to keep his career (sadly, Hollywood really does value actors over directors).  Joe also dumped Rebecca for their young co-star, Greta Bastendorff (an oversight on Beaumont's part, I think; he made her seventeen which, while acceptably young here, is completely illegal and much more shocking over there).

Joe has become a complete diva; he demands extra staff, a new bed, and constantly belittles Rebecca.  Then there's the runner, the PA, the executive-in-charge-of-jellybeans, the adman, the amateur drug dealer turned bouncer (who christens Rebecca 'Extra-Large Tits and Rizlas' after he spots her being searched at the airport), the hairdresser, Norman the Cook, and a whole host of other characters, all with their own viewpoint.  Some are only in for a few scenes, others comment throughout the entire novel.

The book just makes me laugh.  A lot.  That's what I really like about it. From the first page, I was giggling my little head off.  And it's just gone midnight, and I've been working on this post intermittently for almost a week now, so I'll leave it at that.

In Which We Discuss MMORPGs

Something multiplayer online role-playing games.

I've read two books which focus on the subject, not counting the .Hack mangas. The first one, Love Online, is quite sweet, if very obviously written for teenagers. It's a loosely rewritten version of Twelfth Night (the Shakespeare play), only the confusion and disguises take place in the online world. It's actually really good, and very romantic.

The second, I read a few weeks ago. It's called Genesis Alpha, and is about a boy who was born only because his brother needed his stem cells. When his brother is accused of murder, the media (and the victim's sister) say that if he wasn't born, his brother would have died, and wouldn't have killed anyone.

About a fifth of the way through, and the victim's sister says that the proof is in the online world, Genesis Alpha. I'm intrigued, despite myself.

In style, the book seems very juvenile. You know, like a lot of books for 'young adults' where serious topics are dealt with, but in an exciting, safe way, not a difficult uncomfortable way? Those kinds of books always seem a little flimsy, a little lacking in depth. Unlike, say, Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper which also focuses on some of the same issues in children being born in order to donate cells to their siblings. However, My Sister's Keeper seems like a much more realistic world, rather than just a simple story.

Anyway, the twist in Genesis Alpha, while good, was tragically underdeveloped. Right up until the end, I expected another twist - a better twist.

Well, it never happened. This book had so much potential, which was reigned in, possibly because it was thought too complicated for its predicted audience. Sad, really.

I'm tempted to rewrite the book the way I see it in my head, but that's called plagiarism, and is frowned on in most societies.:(