Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Review: The Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman

book 4 of 12 for the Young Adult Challenge 09
genre: young adult speculative/apocalyptic fiction
rating: 5/5

A new age is upon the earth. After the Flood, the planet was reborn as a series of Islands, looked after by the glorious Earth Mother. She has created a calm and safe world, where anything inaccurate or unpredictable is a thing of the past.

For Honor, though, her life isn't as simple. The weather is much more predictable than her parents, who aren't as conscientious about following the rules as they should be. As Honor grows up, she has to decide to either fit in with everyone else or doubt the reality she's been taught by a society that prizes conformity above nearly everything else.

This book was stellar. I never wanted to put it down - the culture itself was a fascinating slippery slope from our modern environmental and peace-loving desires. The writing kept my attention, wasn't predictable and the characters were fleshed out enough to surprise me sometimes. I dearly hope there is another to follow.

3 comments:

bermudaonion said...

Your review is wonderful and makes me want to read the book.

Anonymous said...

Great review! I have this on my wish list.

Melissa said...

Sticking this on my list. While I'm thinking about it, you should check out Life as We knew it by Susan Beth Pfeffer (I've got it sitting on my nightstand, waiting patiently for me to finish the book I'm currently on). It's another dystopian, and I've heard nothing but RAVES about it.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...