This Week I'm Reading...

2 Stories about Monsters, a bereaved Tortoise and 1 Bottled Heart...

This Weeks Reading!

I know what you're thinking, 'that sounds cheerful!'. But actually I've really enjoyed get stuck in to these books this week. It started out with me asking my 12 year old brother what he's studying in English at the moment and I was so delighted when he replied 'Frankenstein'. I think Adam got more information than he bargained for as I started rambling on about how much I loved reading it and how thrilled I was with my A-level result for the associated paper (102/104 - oh yeah!). Turn's out that so far, Adam isn't a huge fan of the Gothic horror classic, but it did lead us into a conversation about Monsters. Men and Ethics that was very profound for a 12 year old so I'll let him off! It did however, prompt me to show off my beautiful edition of this book and then I wanted to read it again!

So for anyone who doesn't know, Frankenstein by Mary Shelly is the story of a Man who creates a creature from bits and pieces of dead bodies - Nice! Obviously the text in the story is worded much more eloquently but that's it in a nutshell. With the creature rejected, hunted and desperately lonely it turns on its creator, stalking him, driving him near to death. Several things are interesting about this novel. 

Frankenstein 2007 Edition

The first is the portrayal of women, not in an overtly feminist way but if you consider the Female characters (Justine and Elizabeth in particular) I think you'll see what I mean. It is perhaps worth noting that Shelley initially had this work published anonymously, not uncommon for the time I know but still leads the mind to wonder - if she had written a love story, would she still have changed her name? This book was considered so terrifying, so macabre, that to consider that Mary Shelly, the well respected wife of poet Percy Bysshe Shelly who kept artistic company with the like of Byron, would be capable of dreaming up such a Monster.

The second interesting point here is the Man/Monster paradox. Many people hold the common misconception that the monster is called Frankenstein when this is in fact the last name of the man who created the Monster. This misconception has merit though, because who really IS the Monster in this Gothic Tragedy? It's certainly a point worth considering. Hmmm.

Having quickly made my way back through Frankenstein, I returned my attention to my bookshelf and decided to share another book concerning 'Monsters' with you. I first came across A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness about a week after it's release and I recall be surprised to see it in the Children's section. I appreciate that Walker Books are usually associated with books for Littlies but the cover art alone on this would have given me nightmares as a child. Since then it has been safely moved to the teenage section and you'll find a more simple looking version in the Adult Fiction section now. The newer additions have sadly lost the cover art and illustrations which make the copy I have all the more haunting and I really think it's a shame that the imagery had been lost. 

Patrick Ness 2011

Ultimately, this book is very, very sad. Honestly, I won't sugar coat it. I was reading it in tears on the train when I first got my hand on it. It tell's the story of Conor and the conversations he has with a monster who visits him at night. The monster doesn't hurt him or try to scare him but he is scary. He is a monster in the mind, he visits Conor to try to help him process. Conor's mum is dying and nothing can be done, her medication isn't working any more and it's on a matter of time. 

Now, as if this information on it's own doesn't make this sad enough, Patrick Ness has actually tells this tale and had it published on behalf of the great Siobhan Dowd who sadly died from cancer before she could complete her idea and see it published. This book is dedicated to her.

This book is addictive, you need to know what happens next, you need to know how Conor is coping. This book is dark and it is tragic. It's one of those uncomfortable topics that people would rather avoid with children - loss, the death of a parent. The Monster wants Conor to tell the truth about everything, about how the situation is affecting him instead of bottle it all up and there is some fabulous imagery concerning the Monster in Conor's mind which really does make this book utterly compelling.

Pockety 2014

Scanning my bookshelf I realised I have a number of books which actually tackle the issue of loss. For younger children is the lovely little story of Pockety (by Florence Seyvos), the Tortoise who Lived as she Pleased. This charming little book tells the story of Pockety, now a grandmother, and her Granddaughter Bubble. When Pockety is young, she loses her best friend and although she really struggles with the loss and is hurt and angry, she goes on to enjoy all things her life has to offer and she does all the things that make her happy. It really is very heart warming but watch out for the sudden and frankly, slightly blunt, death of Thumb (on the second page no less). It has it's funny moments and I'd recommend it for young and old. It also happens to be a beautifully designed little book with some lovely illustrations.

The Heart in the Bottle 2010

And Finally, if you have much younger Children (or if you're an emotionally repressed adult like myself) you might like to consider reading The Heart in the Bottle by Oliver Jeffers. I have the little hardback version of this but you'll find the standard sized picture book with all his other titles in the young readers section. A simple story of a young girl who has a curious mind, she wonders about everything, she's inspired by everything, the world is an exciting place! She ponders all these great things from the comfort of an armchair where her Father(?) sits. One day, she finds an empty chair. I can feel myself welling up as I type, it really is beautifully told, the illustrations are fabulous. This little girl doesn't like how she feels after the discovery of the empty chair and she puts her heart in a bottle. A strong metaphor for how we bottle our emotions, this story of a girl who learns to accept the realities of her bottled heart is one all children should hear.

So there we have it, from Monsters both real and imagined to coping with Loss - it's been an interesting week of reading! Next week will be more cheerful, I promise! 

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xxxx