AARU
by
David Meredith
Although they had tried everything
medically possible, sixteen year old Rose Johnson was dying of cancer. But, the
man in the white lab coat assured Rose that he could save her. Her mother,
father, and younger sister, Koren, begged her to let the man try. So, she did.
And, he did. Sort of.
Although Rose’s body still died,
Rose continued to live – cancer free – in Aaru, a virtual reality. In David
Meredith’s young adult novel, Aaru,
we learn about Rose’s adjustment to her cancer free life in cyberspace. We also
follow the changes in Koren’s life as she becomes a spokesperson for Aaru and
adjusts to life with Rose in Aaru.
I had
reviewed an earlier book by Meredith, The Reflections of Queen Snow White, which I found to be clever and thoroughly enjoyed. Aaru is
very different, however, and I have mixed feelings about this latest novel.
On
the one hand, I found Rose and Koren to be somewhat off-putting. Both girls
were teenagers; however, the characters acted – and reacted – in ways that, in
my opinion, were not age appropriate. I did not find Koren, in particular, to
be a very flattering character; in my opinion, she was simple, superficial, and
juvenile. In addition, I was troubled by one of the other characters who was
written with an accent. It seemed to me that the written portrayal of this
accent was inconsistent. Throughout the book, I was never able to create a
clear “picture” of this accent from the writing; every time I encountered this
character, I felt like I tripped over the accent.
On
the other hand, Meredith’s writing is very good. I tend to think that I have a
fairly well developed vocabulary, but the writing in Aaru left me
wishing I had a dictionary by my side while reading. Furthermore, the primary
issues raised in the book – e.g., life after death and capturing and
maintaining the essence of a person – are fascinating. The book is a good
vehicle to encourage young adults to think about these interesting Philosophical
questions.
No comments:
Post a Comment