Рецензия на книгу
Allegiant
Veronica Roth
an-larina27 июля 2014 г.The best way to sort things out in your head after reading a page-turner is to discuss it with someone or write a review. This time, I’m taking the second option.
I didn’t actually read Divergent and Insurgent, instead I listened to them as audiobooks. The third book (a paper one) was ordered by my in advance from my favourite Internet bookstore back in October but it’s only now, in July, that I had time to read it. Partially because of the different channel of perception (visual vs audio), but mostly due to the plot changes, the last novel stands apart from the two first parts.
The main idea of the book aims at big thoughts. Discrimination and its consequences. Those are the topics discussed everywhere and by everyone in the West. As well as genetic issues. And although the narration in the book is quite convoluted and it becomes hard to keep track on what is truth and what is lie, I agree with the author’s appeal – don’t mess with genes, guys. Actually, this was an interesting idea – that imperfection is better than perfection (like bravery in its pure form turns into recklessness).
The first and foremost impression I have from Allegiant is that the author tries – sometimes casually, sometimes desperately – to escape clichés and predictable plot lines. She twists her characters this and that way, and from time to time I see just puppets in my mind, not people. I don’t pretend to play a great psychologist or something, but in some places I just did not believe her – like when Peter chose to lose his memory or Evelyn surrendered with no fight at all. I don’t say it’s impossible but for me those actions were strange and inconsistent with their previous behaviour. I didn't see any 'trigger' for such behaviour.
And of course, the ending. Here I just see how Mrs Roth is striving to escape a real happy end – not only because a happy end would be less symbolic or noble or epic, but also because it was so expected of a YA trilogy, and she didn’t want to be predictable. Well, I cannot really blame her for that.
Also, I cannot help adding: from my own short experience of writing, I understood that the author doesn’t feel the same as the reader when a character is killed. It’s strange but still it is so.
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