The premise of this sci-fi book is what if in the future someone invented a disease so contagious that the government instituted a draconian system for identifying infected individuals and isolating them from the rest of the population. The infected are called lepers and are relocated to a remote island whose culture is stuck in the early 1900s. At the end of the book, the narrator adds an Author's Note that claims in so many words that the story is historical fiction. I'm glad the claim is just a meta-fiction ploy, bc I wd have been far less engaged if this were for rilz.
Spoiler alert, Emily dies. And Leilani. And Haleola, too. Oh no, not Kenji! Let's see, also dying are the Dad, the Mom, the brother, not to mention Catherine's parents by suicide. And I don't mean they die of leprosy; they die of life ordinarily. I mean, I know that on a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero, and this novel has a lifelong timeline. But the only subject discussed or considered in any depth is death.
No, not true, also disease. And living in the moment. But that wd make for an fidgetingly dull book, if it weren't set in the future and I didn't have to draw parallels to our current world. I'd love to live on Molokai, but hearing the island paradise described as a relief from the characters' ache of leprosy does nothing for me. At least the author and narrator acknowledge how wonderful it wd be to live in an island paradise, at 80 degrees every day, beautiful volcano mountains, green forest, blue waters, great views, and the government gives you all your necessities for your whole life. Just reading books in hammocks in the shade just off the beach, sound of wind in the trees -- I've never tried a hammock, but lying in a hammock anyway. The hissing waves, watching people surf, sipping frothy poi fruit smoothie, eying the distant island cities across the channels. Get married, have sex, run a small business, grow in wisdom, help those around you, die at age 30 or 40. Leprosy wd be a small price to pay for that.
Except there are more costs. Leprosy itself doesn't hurt, but it's uncomfortable in queer ways, and can cause pain indirectly. One character loses function of some face muscles so his eye can't close. Imagine your eye waters constantly then dries out, and you can't blink out bright light or dust. And you're stuck sleeping with an open eye for the rest of your life. Not very painful, but what a pain. Also, the government takes all offspring so they don't get the sickness. So you can't raise children. And you don't feel injuries and cuts until they're infected, so you get digits and limbs amputated, while awake and downing salicylic acid. So that does hurt. And as I said, you cd die any year, if that's a bad thing to you. And you never see the people you knew out in the real world, or only a visit now and again, through wire barricade. Again, if that's a bad thing for you. Maybe not so bad regarding the in-laws, but your spouse or kids or parents?
I wd do fine, so I had trouble relating the the sad figures in the book, including the main girl Rachel. She was so oppressed and the narrator was constantly tweaking the reader on how unfair it all was, and how society's systems were all wrong, and why do people get beaten down, and bad things happen to good people, and woe is me, and why can't we all get along? Really grating. I mean, they completely miss out on all of two wars that take place, staying safe on their island where no enemy wants to come for fear of the disease. And no one dwells on how wonderful it is to live in an isolated Eden cloistered away from the ravages of war.
But most people wdn't do fine, bc they feel love more keenly than I do. And the book is written for such folk. Every paragraph is bursting with gross, mushy love. Kids love parents. Parents love kids. Kids love friends. Adults love spouses. Kids' love is destroyed. Parents' love is ruined or deflected. Adults' love is severed, but then sometimes reunited (best scenes in the book are toward the end with Rachel and family). Love goes wrong, but love makes it all worth it. Or something. As I said, you'd have to ask someone who gets that stuff better, but this book just laid it on too thick for me and made it hard to get through.
Oh, but total genius that the author made the island, get this, a character. Not a place, a character. It's a place, but in a way you never thought of before, also a character. Sadly, it was the best character, with the possible exception of Catherine. But seriously, the view from the island was complete and well done. No, I won't say I lived there for a week, that's what a pretentious reviewer wd say. But I did feel the isolation on the island while reading, and understood what it wd be like to be there. Esp then the wars came near and smoke rises from nearby islands. Didn't make it worth the read, but it was something.
No comments:
Post a Comment