I read the book enititled, Just Listen, and it was one of the best books I have read in a while. It was a real story, not just some vampire fantasy. It was a book that really gets you thinking, and is unpredictable. Everything that could go wrong in this girl's life does. She starts out her school year as a no one, gets called multiple names, and has no friends. Her family is dealing with multiple upsetting problems, like her sister, who turns to anorexia, while the mother is dealing with a great loss of her mother. Unexpected twists and turns show there is always a bright side to every dark situation.
There are two literary elements that stand out to me in this book and one of them is the setting. Annabel (the main character) lives in this lusty glass house. From an outsiders view, they could see most of the house, like the kitchen, dining room, living room (but no the bathrooms' or bedrooms'). Annabel always says "It looks like a perfect family enjoying a nice dinner on the outside, but on the inside, you see the family that is quiet with problems, covering them up to protect eachother." The cars pass by, and always look. Annabel always notices this. They always see the happy family when Annabel feels sorry. She feels sorry because, to the people on the outside, it is just an illusion. If we didn't have this glass house in this story, then, this point couldn't be put across. What you see isn't always what you get.
The next literary element that stood out to me is the point of view. We have multiple different personalities in this book. The characters in the book have prominent traits. Kirsten (the eldest sister) is the loud, talkative, bold girl verses Whitney (the middle sister) who is reserved, cross, and misunderstood. Then we have Annabel. Annabel covers and bottles everything up. She tries to keep things from people to avoid making them unhappy. So, she is quiet and goes with the flow. It is crucial that it was from her point of view because we get a taste of what her life is like and how many things she is botteling up. Quiet Annabel gives us all the information about her and everyone else's life that we find out different fascinating clues that engage us in reading further. She keeps you guessing on what is happening next, and the different problems that are occuring.
Very creative and strong introduction to this blog posting, Jessie. I love how you emphasized the importance of the setting of the novel to our understanding of the story. It's completely true, too. We would never see the "illusion" of Annabel's life if we hadn't seen the difference between the appearance of her life and the actual events. Do you believe people in our actual society life in a symbolic "glass house" where appearanaces and reality do not necessarily go hand in hand? It's an interesting concept and I would like to hear your opinions.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you about the importance of the point of view. Had we heard the story from one of the other sisters we would not get the same understanding of the story. If you were to change the p.o.v., which sister would you like to hear it from and how do you think the story would be different?