The Duality of a Narrative

Every one thinks of Melina Marchetta’s On The Jellicoe Road as a work of genius. Well, perhaps not really everyone. While I was browsing through the dozens of reviews On The Jellicoe Road had inspired to be written, there are few who might think my first statement is highly questionable. The popular reason for not loving this novel is the confusing nature of the first half of the novel. This is something I find most amusing. Like what I’ve stated on my review, I wasn’t confused one bit of the structure Melina Marchetta employed to tell the wonderful story of Taylor Markham and those five teenagers. I figured out early on the connection between the narratives: which are the clues and which are the red-herrings. Does this mean I find it too predictable? No. Does this mean I have a mind of a rocket scientist? I wish. I puzzled over why this was easy for me and came up with one simple explanation: I have read a bunch of novels that uses a dual narrative literary technique to tell a story, most of which ends up on my favourite pile.

This is how Wikipedia define a dual narrative:

“A dual narrative is a form of narrative that tells a story in two different perspectives, usually two different people. Dual narrative is also an effective technique that can be used to tell the story of people (or one person) at two different points in time. It is used to show parallels or emphasise differences in the lifestyles or points-of-view of different places or time periods.”

On this post I will focus on the dual narratives used to tell story-lines at two different points in time. It is a technique commonly seen at science-fiction, fantasy and historical fiction novels. I will discuss three books that falls on each genre that employs this technique.

In Orson Scott Card’s under-appreciated novel The Pathfinder, we have the main storyline that tells the adventure of a young boy who turns out to be the missing prince of a monarchy ruled by the females of the line. At the beginning of each chapter, we follow the character of young Ram, chosen to command a ship journeying from Earth to a distant planet for human to colonize. There was no clear connection between these story-lines, and Ram’s arc was especially confusing if you are not familiar with space travel. But as you go along, you will begin to see the bigger picture and how one narrative affects the other one. I won’t say more for fear of spoiling, but when I came at the point of understanding my mind was blown to molecular particles.

I can use another Orson Scott Card novel, The Lost Gate, for an example for the fantasy genre but the dual narrative technique used in this is on the two different world(Mittlegard and Westil) and not two different time-line. Instead, I’ll use Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series. Mistborn: The Final Empire, the first book of this series is about a group of mercenaries attempting to overthrow a tyrant empire. There were short paragraphs at the beginning of each chapter that was taken from the journal of the Lord Ruler before he came to be the big guy. These journal entries are critical to the final stand-off, the book’s climax.

The dual narrative technique, as I’ve learned, are most commonly used in historical fiction with a narrative centered on a modern day setting wherein our lead character discovers a journal of a character in the past. This was the case of Jennifer Donnely’s Revolution.  We have a character grieving for his brother’s death who founds a journal of 18th century young lady who befriended a doomed prince during the French Revolution. Dual narrative was used to show contrast of the internal journey of these two characters. It also juxtaposed the modern-day Paris — a beautiful city, rich with history; and the hell that it was during the revolution. Unlike the cases of the first two books I mentioned, I would rather have the two story-lines had not met. Revolution is an almost favourite book, but not quite.

There is a point in books that utilizes this technique when the two narratives intersect I choose to call Point of Convergence. The Point of Convergence in Pathfinder and Mistborn: The Final Empire blew my mind away; the experience I had with On the Jellicoe Road was different but equally special. At the point when my speculation about the connection between the two story-lines was confirmed my heart was shattered to pieces. The aforementioned books left my mind feeling a bit abused; On the Jellicoe Road left me feeling a bit raw – feeling more.

Dual Narrative is literary technique that is very hard to execute. For it to be effective, the two story-lines must be equally compelling and the both characters that carries the storyline should be believable. It is very unusual to find this in a contemporary YA novel, but I think Melina Marchetta have done it perfectly on On the Jellicoe Road. By employing this technique, she gave her book pathos and nuances that render the entire story an unmatched complexity. It brought it to a completely different level. Every one gushes about the characters, their tragedies and triumphs — I love those, too. But the highlight for me of the On the Jellicoe Road is its effective use of a structure very few authors attempt to do.

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Ah, so after about 4 months the silence in this blog is finally broken. I have this idea of a post about dual narratives a long time ago, but thanks to Chachic’s Marchetta Madness Week(and her persistence, of course) I finally got the incentive I needed to write about it, only it now highlights On the Jellicoe Road more. If you know a book that features a dual narrative — be it sci-fi, fantasy, historical fiction, or contemporary YA — I will greatly appreciate it if you leave a recommendation.

Review: Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card

I had to distance myself away from this book before I wrote this review. If I did not, I would have just hit the caps lock and type, THIS IS THE COOLEST YA BOOK EVER!! Shift 1. Shift 1. I just did exactly that, didn’t I? Oops. After being blown away by Ender’s Game last year, you think I’ve learned my lesson and expect nothing less from Orson Scott Card? I didn’t, but I know a lot better now.

Rigg can see path human and animals made whether it’s from the distance past or the near present. He has been living most of his life isolated in the woods with only Father as his companion. Father taught him a lot things, most of which Rigg believes he will never need. That changed when Father suddenly died leaving him a task to find his sister, 19 jewels and his name. A name that could also be his death sentence. Rigg soon realized that Father prepared him for something bigger than what he can ever fathom and there’s more to his ability than just seeing people’s path. At the beginning of each chapter, we follow the character of young Ram as he command a ship journeying from Earth to a distant planet for human to colonize. It will only take you half-way through the book before you can put two and two together and see the larger picture.

Orson Scott Card combines tropes commonly found from young adult fantasy and science-fiction and produced a book that proves his mastery of both genre. Although marketed as a young adult novel, Pathfinder possess a very complex and sophisticated narrative involving space and time-travel and filled with secrets and intrigues that will keep the reader turning the pages. At the acknowledgement page, the author stated that he started writing the book knowing that he’ll challenge common rules of time travel, and he did. I don’t consider myself an expert on time-travel but neither am I a novice. I started reading Pathfinder with my preconceptions on how time-travel works. I had a hard time wrapping my head around the rules Card set for this novel. But after I suspend my preconceptions, everything made sense and needless to say, I love every bit of it. I guess it would not be an empty statement if I say that Pathfinder has a very intelligent plot the we rarely get to see in young adult novels. Pathfinder doesn’t force you to think so you can follow the narrative or else you’ll get left behind. It dares you to and that’s one of the many the beauties of it.

Space time travel plays a huge part in this book but it is not the only thing this book can offer. The main storyline(Rigg’s) was set in a land called Aressa Sessamo. This land was previously ruled by a monarchy that was decreed to be ruled only by the females until an uprising came that turned the government into People’s Revolution. Fast forward to present time, there are factions who want to maintain the Revolution but there are some that wants the female-ruling monarchy back and a few in favor for a male-ruling monarchy. The political intrigue in this novel is very complicated and for an unfortunate reason, Rigg is in the centre of all of it. For some this could mean that Card has got into his political babble once again. Not for me. The political situation of Aressa Sessamo is a consequence of what happened in the land’s past therefore will play a vital part on our heroes future.(Excuse the vagueness of that statement. I am carefully treading on a spoiler-mined land here.) And I’ll be honest, it was really fun figuring out whose on which side of the fence.

Genius is what Pathfinder is. The only reason I can think of for you not to enjoy this is if you hold bias over the author’s opinion on certain topics before reading the book. I am also in opposition with some of the author’s perspectives. He can have his opinion and I can have mine, but this won’t stop me from enjoying his books. It’s not like he is exploiting his fans like other fan-fiction writer authors do. Having an opinion is not a crime, is it? A great storyteller is a great storyteller no matter what. There’s a reason why Orson Scott Card has been in this business for a very long time and Pathfinder is definitely one of those. If you haven’t tried any Orson Scott Card novel yet(my god, what’s wrong with you?), this is a good place to start.

Rating: ★★★★★

Other Reviews to Consider:
King of the Nerds | Good Books and Good Wine | Dreams Stuff Books

2010 Male Characters A-List

As I promised yesterday, I am now posting a countdown of my ten favorite male characters from the books I read this year. These characters made it to my list not because they’re hot or gorgeous. These characters made a mark to me because I saw qualities in them that I find very admirable. Some of them made an impression for their massive character growth, much thanks to the talented authors who wrote them. I noticed a pattern in the list, though. The bottom half of the list is consists of the underdogs. They aren’t the lead male character, but somehow few of them surpasses the appeal of the leads. The top half meanwhile is consists of flawed, (even deranged),  and believable characters. I was able to connect to them, and that is what’s important to me – not their swoon-worthiness, but the connection the author established between me and the character. Before I present to you my top ten list, I give you the ones who almost made it.

Honorable Mentions:

• Happyface from Stephen Emond’s Happyface
• Jason from Rick Riordan’s The Lost Hero(I can’t give the surname for it’s a bit spoilery.)
• Etienne St. Clair from Stephanie Perkins’ Anna and the French Kiss
• Sam Temple from Michael Grant’s GONE novels
• Scott Pilgrim from Bryan O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim series, and
• Finnick Odair from Suzanne Collin’s Mockingjay

10. Leo Valdez(The Lost Hero)
Those who hid their sorrows by the hilarious jokes they share gains my sympathy easier. This way, that character’s jokes are more cherished, and his expositions of longing more affecting. Leo is that kind of character.

9. Levi Jedidah Calder(Unwind)
It was amazing to see how Levi grew from being the kid who believes that the purpose of his existence is to be unwind into someone leading the fight against the system. This transformation wasn’t an easy one, though. He had to go through a lot before he became the person he was at the ending of the book.

8. Seth Sorenson(Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star)
This little, smart-mouthed daredevil has a lot of laughter and troubles to offer. His role in saving the Fablehaven may be just secondary(actually, he does more messing than saving), but it is certain that he has the heart of a true Gryffindor. He made laugh and he made feel proud.

7. Gale Hawthorne(Mockingjay)
The kind of soldier we need during wartime. He witnessed how his town burn to ashes, and took all the survivors under his wing so who could blame him if he is willing to do cruel things to crush his enemies. Gale’s transformation horrified me because of my realization that what happened to him might happen to anyone. He gave more depth to the words of 30 Seconds to Mars’ Night of the Hunter to me.

6. Nico diAngelo(Percy Jackson series)
The son of Hades, our little avenger darkens every scene he is in. No one reall knows what will Nico do. His presence and decisions had always been a subject of anticipation. He increases the sense of unpredictability to the entire series. It doesn’t help that he always comes in all-black outfits. A reason for girl readers to find him sexy, and forget the fact that he is just a freaking 12-year-old kid.

5. Andrew “Ender” Wiggins(Ender’s Game)
A lot considers him as Hitler and Alexander the Great combined. This is true because there’s no denying that he is a prodigy, a conqueror, and a master tactician. These are the very reasons why the government officials thought it was justifiable for him to be exploited. The kid never got to enjoy his childhood. Whenever he is starting to feel comfortable with the routine, he was given a much tougher one. And when other fictional heroes are just starting their career as world-saviors, Ender is already on the height of his. No doubt, the kid almost lost his sanity.

4. Caine Soren(GONE novels)
One adjective I can use to rightfully describe  Mr. Caine Soren is badass. I like villains – or in Caine’s case, anti-hero – who doesn’t justify the vicious things they do, they just believe in it. Caine’s awesome anti-hero characterization is one of the biggest reason why I am addicted to the GONE novels. It’s a huge plus that he’s part of a very interesting bad romance;  a kind of romance that you don’t get to see that often in Young Adult books.

3. Quentin Jacobsen(Paper Towns)
Perhaps the most ordinary guy in this list. He doesn’t have any superpowers, nor he isn’t expected to save the world, but I learned so much when I put myself into his shoes. His quest in discovering who is the real Margo, no matter how mundane, was an incredible one. I step out of his shoes being a different person – a better one, I hope.

2. Todd Hewitt(Chaos Walking trilogy)
Todd lived a completely different life from ours but it is so easy to connect to him. His voice is just painfully honest. I was able to access his unguarded thoughts and raw emotions.  I can’t help but feel for this kid whenever he is on a tight situation because, let’s face it, Patrick Ness wasn’t particularly nice to him.

1.  Peeta Mellark(Mockingjay)
I didn’t expect that I will be liking his character at all. I hated his character for the first two books. I thought he was too self-righteous and too martyr for his own good, but Mockingjay changed that. He, in my opinion, had the most outstanding character development. I may just be repeating what I said on my Mockingjay review so allow me quote parts of it:

“At the end of Catching Fire, I wanted him to man up cause he desperately needs to and boy, did he exceeded my expectations.

Who would have thought that the self-sacrificial martyr-like boy with the bread whose love for Kat was verging on obsession would be the one to expose to us what the war has turned Katniss into. That girl whose motivation to fight is the people she care about, and the will to survive, the girl we fall in loved with, has now changed and moved by raging fury and vengeance. I must say that the transformation of the seemingly perfect golden boy to a ‘hijacked’ torture victim, then into Katniss’ anchor to reality and rationality is now my favorite character development in literary history. (Okay, coming from someone who haven’t read that much yet and only reads contemporary YA fiction that statement doesn’t say much, but it still has bearing, right?)

I overlooked how important his character is but now, I have come to realize that his role in the series goes beyond from just being Katniss’ Nicholas Spark-like romantic suitor. Katniss was the Rebels’ Mockingjay but Peeta, I firmly believe, was Katniss’ Mockingjay.
For starters, his immunity to execution was the thing that urged Katniss to accept the Mockingjay Role. Peeta’s role to Katniss resistance started even from the beginning. Remember that Katniss act of eulogy to Rue, her first clear sign of rebellion, was in fact inspired by Peeta’s statement at the rooftop before the Games began. He said that he will not allow himself be a part of the Capitol’s play, that he will not be a pawn of their games.

The bad part, it took him to be ‘hijacked’ for me to see things. That’s the best part of his story, though. His old self died and he tried hard resurrecting it. Despite him being a firsthand victim of the war, it did not affect him the way it affected Gale. We saw how he struggled to keep his promise to protect Katniss not only from her enemies but from himself, er, his ‘hijacked’ self. And remember that we are talking about a man, a boy, who lost everything — his home, his family(a luxury Gale had), Katniss, and his own self. Clearly, he is the depiction of the other-half of the possibility of what war can make us. The warrior.

At the end, he became the constant reminder for Katniss to what is right and wrong, of how far she crossed the line, of what she is really fighting for. Thus, bringing us back the Katniss we loved, the Katniss before she was forced and fabricated into the role of the Mockingjay by Coin and Plutarch. If someone deserved to be loved, its him. He deserved Kat as much as Kat deserved him.”

Oops.. long quote, sorry. I can’t decide what parts to skip. I thought I had to justify why I chosen him as my Male Character of the Year so I thought I’d copy all.

And yes, I still believe that Peeta was Katniss’ Mockingjay.