Bookami

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

With its steamy, cinematic writing, it's no wonder that What I Saw and How I Lied is nominated for the National Book Award in Young People's Literature.  In film noir style, Judy Blundell tells the dramatic story of Evie and her family post World War II.  When Joe, Evie's father, returns home from the war, Evie expects that life will go back to normal, but then the phone calls start, and Joe decides to whisk the family away to Florida for an extended vacation.  There, they meet Peter Coleridge, an ex-GI who served under Joe in Austria.  Evie comes to realize that Peter's appearance in Florida is not coincidental.  There is a secret between Peter and Joe, but Evie falls in love with Peter anyway.  Then an accident occurs, and Evie is forced to decide whether to be loyal to her first love or save her parents from ruin.

Much Like Godbersen's The Luxe, Blundell has given readers a dark, secretive historical novel with a contemporary feel.   This is a coming-of-age story with a sharp edge that is sure to entice even those young readers who believe all historical novels are boring and banal.

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

The 59th National Book Award winners will be announced this evening.  The five nominations in the Young People's Literature category are:

• The Underneathby Kathi Appelt with illustrations by David Small
• The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
• Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
• What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell
• The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp

 

I have already favorably reviewed the first two novels on the above list (see April for Lockhart's novel and May for The Underneath).  As usual I'm impressed with the quality of writing in this year's finalists, but I'm also impressed by the cover art.  Kudos to all of the designers for these five novels, and particularly to the two designers of What I Saw and How I Lied and Chains. Often times, historical novels have wretched institutional covers, but both of these novels have fresh, stunning covers.  I just knew that Blundell's novel was going to be subtly steamy and that for all of Isabel's hardships, hope and light were just around the corner in Chains. 

Anderson's novel tells the tale of a young slave girl, Isabel, who is sold to a harsh New York Loyalist family at the beginning of the Revolutionary War even though her former owner had provided for her freedom in her will.  In New York she meets Curzon, who convinces her that her only hope for freedom is to help the rebels by spying on her new owners.  Isabel is blessed with an intelligence beyond her years, though, and soon realizes that the only path to being free is to help and fight for herself even if it means suffering unimaginable pain and anguish.

I love how Anderson's novel presents slavery in a different era.  I think a great number of young readers have the impression that the United States didn't really start debating the slavery issue until the mid-1800s.  I also think that many readers are stunned to learn that slavery was condoned in Rhode Island and New York, not just in the southern colonies.  Anderson also seems to understand that all novels must have a little grit.  Her pacing of this novel is just excellent.  There is not just one big heart-pounding scene, but rather several that move this novel along swiftly, keeping the reader turning the pages.  Add to this the rich detail in the vocabulary and cadence of speech used, and I can't speak more highly of this novel.  This is what all historical novels should be like.  History is fascinating and fast-paced, and Anderson makes sure her readers feel her passion for it.