SPLIT by Swati Avasthi - recap

Split takes on different and interesting perspective as it looks at the main character teenaged Jace as both Victim and Abuser. Not a lot of YA seems to tackle this issue which actually happens more often than not with abused people. Often the character is only a victim trying to get out.

Notes on characters:
Jace's character is well developed and expressive. You have sympathy while not 100% liking him or accepting what he has done.
Christian more removed, not as developed, but we felt this might have been intentional. He is more walled off, which is how he survived. There is still a fear within him and he keeps both a physical and mental space between the other characters and the reader.
The reader and Jace actually find out more about Christian through Miriam and through the apartment wall. Another analogy of the brother's relationship.
Jenn T's favorite character ultimately is Miriam. She is a positive adult without being too “clinical”. When she starts crossing that "clinical" line it is often interrupted by Jace calling her on it and her backing off. There are moments where she isn’t perfect but she’s really working to help Jace. The readers emotions change along with Jace’s emotions about her.
One of the least liked (by our group) of the characters was Lauren. She comes off too bitchy.
She is your quintessential "Queen Bee" of the school, and she uses that to hide her weaker traits and issues such as her alcoholic mother. Jace at first thinks she's strong and can't be broken, but his violence shows her to be just as suseptible and emotionally co-dependant. Even though we didn't like her through most of the book we also connected to when and how she starts to cave.

What our group really liked about the book was that there were no simple answers and nothing was cleaning wrapped up at the end, but there was still hope.

The book is about relationship abuse – not just the family's abuse. There are themes of guilt and blame and the readers can really see different perspectives of how people saw and dealt with the events in the book.

Our group really saw this book being ideal for the high school ages: 9-12 grade, mature 8th graders may also like this book and understand the complexities in it.

We are continually impressed at how writers can write so outside their experience and be convincing and hit right on the issues? This author while having had contact with social work abuse situations does not seem to come from a personal background of it, nor is she obviously a
16 year male who has been on both the receiving and dealing end of abuse. Although some of our group felt that authors such as E. R. Frank have even stronger realistic writing skills when writing outside their own experiences, we felt that Avasthi has the potential and capability of being another such writer. Given this is her debut novel she gives us a real, honest and frank situation with which to contend.

We briefly discussed the cover: Orange with black keys – not really appealing; really have to think about the connection – get it, but not until after reading.

Other books dealing with heavier issues:
It happened to Nancy - AIDS
Kim empty inside – Cutting
Dirty Little Secrets – Hoarding
A Child Called It - Severe abuse

Next Meeting: Tues., Oct. 26th – Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor

Nov: Maude Hart Lovelace Nominees – Members: Vote for the one you want to read here on the blog: Alabama Moon, Night of the Howling Dog, A Girl Named Eva

LEVIATHAN By Scott Westerfeld

Illustrations are beautiful and overall work well with the story. The map endpapers are very cool in how the countries are depicted, but a little hard to see the shading differences. Some knowledge of who was actually allied and neutral in real WWI is helpful.

We liked the integration of using real historical oddities with the fictional fabrications. Although we aren’t sure that a Tasmanian Tiger, which once really existed, would have really made a good pet.

One way that series were often critiqued was whether or not they could stand on their own as well as in a series. The main issue would be resolved (even if temporarily) by the end of a single book. There may be some unanswered questions that keep you wondering and may be answered or more important in the next book. However, we found Leviathan’s ending unsatisfying, but at least you know there’s a next book. No resolution of anything at the end seems to be the trend with series books these days – both adult and YA. The next book due out in October.

We also discussed the mystery at the end of what’s in the eggs? Our thoughts: Kracken/Squid? Shark? Based on illustration in Ch. 24 we are guessing perhaps a Giant Sea Turtle. A mighty warship made of?....

The steam punk genre seems to be really on the rise and may be jumping genres soon. Main characteristics of steam punk: Mechanical components with historical fiction elements, often with an alternative history twist.

Characters, Quotes & Descriptions:

“Steam punk” – a genre name that has been created to sound “cool”; came from a play on cyber-punk which came from characters who really were more punk.

“It’s barking hard to be a boy” – great quote

Really liked Deryn. – Her spunk, her intelligence, she passes as an underage boy. Loved it when she’s trying to be a boy and she talks about needing a “swagger”; later Alek comments on that Dylan’s “swagger”. Starts having crush on Alek. Where will this go, since she hasn’t revealed her true identity to him.

Monkey Ludites – luddites are afraid of technology, but the Clankers aren’t afraid of technology they are more afraid of the whole biological sciences. Hence Monkey Ludites refers to someone afraid of biological science.

Bats guano carries metal shards: Using bodily functions for weaponry and transportation.

We also liked Alek. His self awareness comes naturally, not contrived.

Other thoughts related to the book and author:

Scott Westerfeld – US/Texas boy spends much of time in Sydney Australia (married to an Australian)

He seems to have been very influenced by several sci-fi books/movies that already exist. There are parallels to Star Wars with the Storm Walkers. Furthermore, creating an ecosystem based on living creatures is a theme in several sci-fi shows as well. The sci-fi show Farscape has a character named Moya of the Leviathan race. Grows other creatures that help function to maintain her. Could it be an infringement of these types of sci-fi characteristics? We’re not the only ones making these comparisons and drawing these parallels which isn’t surprising knowing how into Sci-fi people can get.

We would recommend it for Middle School through High School; a precocious reader could read it in upper elementary. This book is a good intro to genre of steam punk to readers, and can be easily pitched to either gender. It can also be pitched to people with varied interests: historical-fiction readers, sci-fi readers, push fantasy, etc.

Other books using this genre that our group recommends:
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest another Steam punk that may be up for Alex Award
Solace by Gayle Carringer