Genre:
Children fiction
Pages:
416
Edition:
paperback, hardcover, kindle edition
Publisher: RHUK
Year of publication: 2013
RATING: ✰✰✰✰3/4 (4.75/5)
SYNOPSIS:
“When given the choice between being right or being
kind, choose kind.”
August Pullman is a quite normal kid, except that he
has a severe facial deformity. Numerous surgeries and operations have tried to
make his face look normal, but he still has unusual facial features. Kids get
scared when they see him, adults wince looking at him. But August was pulling
through. Having being homeschooled till grade four, he had a safe zone where he
was protected by close friends and a loving family. But grade five onwards, he
is being sent to a regular school. Which means August has to step out and stand
amidst other kids, lead a ‘ordinary’ life he had wanted to live all along. But
things obviously do not go smooth for him. Not all kids are kind and
understanding, and some turn out to be cruel and rude, maybe unintentionally.
Buoyed by some great friends from middle school, August has a bumpy start but
more challenges come his way when people behave different to what he had been
expecting. Eventually, it becomes a quest for him to gain acceptance and win
the hearts of the people around.
REVIEW:
Title: ✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰ (10/10)
The title is unconventional and thought provoking,
kind of emerging from the story itself. What is the element of ‘wonder’ that is
being talked about?
This can probably be traced back to one line spoken by
August’s father, “You really are a wonder, Auggie. You are a wonder.” August is like a ray of sunshine, and he is
very brave and wonderful. As the story progresses, he manages to unearth the
most sympathetic and kindest virtues from the hearts of the readers. And the
way he does so, without seeking pity or begging for sympathy is really a wonder.
Being stamped as ‘ugly’ and ‘what’s wrong with your face’, August just wants to
fit in with the rest of the crowd, where he will be accepted for the person he
is, and not labelled by his face alone. Therefore, I found the title very
thoughtful and witty of the author. It is unique and stands out, and at the
same time it anchors the storyline. We keep reverting back to this element of
‘wonder’ that we started with.
Writing style: ✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰ (9/10)
In her debut novel, Palacio has written the chapters
in a very lucid and easy-flowing manner, without indulging in figures of speech
which are difficult to grasp. Targeted mainly at the children audience, this
novel keeps in mind the simplicity and linearity of the storyline that children
would essentially be able to understand. The story has been written from six
different perspectives, out of whom August is one. In each chapter, the writing
style of the author changes in alignment with the personality and mindset of
the character who is narrating it. The author has focused on the feelings of
the characters, talking about why they feel that way and what do those feelings
trigger them to do. There are also numerous flashbacks and trips down the
memory lane of the characters, which reinforce our judgement about them. The
best part, according to me, was portraying August’s emotions, which are
childish yet very deep and multidimensional. The author seems to have a very
clear understanding of child psychology. What does a child feel when he’s hurt,
how does he react to happiness, what goes on in his mind when he’s betrayed,
what random thoughts run across his mind all day—the author seems to get all
this, and therefore August comes up as such a lovable and realistic character
to the readers.
Plot [✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰ (8/10)] and characterization [✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰ (10/10)]
Since the plot is very plain, the book does not
strikingly follow an introduction, climax, denouement format. The storyline is
not very alarming, rather it feels familiar to the daily life of another
regular middle school kid. Although the events are ordinary
and somewhat predictable, the author makes a point to showcase the same event
in the light of many characters’ point of views, thus providing us a glimpse of
all aspects of it. The plot is often uneven and spikes when an important
incident happens, then smoothens as we again move on to the regular flow of
life. This makes it very realistic and relatable, and makes us feel as if we are
a part of the scene.
On the
other hand, the characterization is very concrete and one of the strongest
attributes of the book. The characters are distinctly unique and real, and they
become more and more tangible as we read their individual sides of the story.
What I loved the most was that the relationship of each of the side characters
with August is very different from one another and has been explored in a
beautiful way. In addition to the character development, there is a praiseworthy
relationship development. These relationships connect each of the characters
and so they do not appear to be discrete, rather they all individually and
collectively contribute to the overall broader picture. A common feature of
children literature is to brand some characters as ‘good’ and some as ‘bad’,
while the protagonist sails through the plot touching the ‘good’ ones and
avoiding the ‘bad’ ones. The portrayal of characters to be grey; and not
entirely white or black, comes up in teenage fiction or young adult genres because
by that time the teenage audience has been able to identify good and bad traits
in the same human being. But this book makes an exception. None of the
characters are discretely angelic and spotless, none of them are completely
villainous and spiteful. This adds to their unpredictability and they sometimes
end up doing things that might be a misfit to the impression they’ve made on
the readers till then. August’s character is also meticulously crafted and the
author makes no effort to force the readers to see him with pity or excessive
sympathy. What the author urges to convey is that some people in this world
need a bit more kindness than others, and they shouldn’t have to fight for it.
“There
are always going to be jerks in the world Auggie,” she said, looking at me. “But
I believe, and Daddy really believes, that there are more good people on this
earth than bad people, and the good people watch out for each other and take
care of each other…”
My verdict and my recommendations:
This is the kind of book which makes you introspect
over your past actions and requests you to reflect back. This is the kind of
book which calms you down, makes you cry and be joyous at the same time. This
is the kind of book which teaches you to be a ‘little more kind than necessary’:
but most importantly, this is the kind of book which transforms you to be a
better person, a kinder version of what you had been.
I highly recommend this book to anyone. This is not
really children’s literature. It transcends to a much wider prospect and it has
the capacity to touch every human alike. Truly one of a kind piece of literature.
➦Want to grab a copy? Purchase the book here.
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