Did this book remind anyone else of the M. Night Shymalan movie The Village?!
Background of the book
PJ Sarah Collins
is a teacher in BC and first started writing after her daughter passed away.
This led to 7 years of courses, and a love of writing for a young audience.
Having also been a youth leader for quite a few years, she has experience
working with a YA audience as well. Collins says that the impetus for writing
this novel was wondering “in what ways I am being
manipulated through media in my world. As a citizen, do I have access to the
full story of my community, my country? These questions triggered a story idea,
which led to more questions”(Collins, 2011, pg. 218).
She went on to ask,“Is it possible to be an independent
thinker, constantly digesting information and disinformation, and I am never
alone with my own thoughts?” (Teachingbooks.net, n.d.).
After numerous rewrites over many years the book was finally published.
PJ Sarah Collins
is a teacher in BC and first started writing after her daughter passed away.
This led to 7 years of courses, and a love of writing for a young audience.
Having also been a youth leader for quite a few years, she has experience
working with a YA audience as well. Collins says that the impetus for writing
this novel was wondering “in what ways I am being
manipulated through media in my world. As a citizen, do I have access to the
full story of my community, my country? These questions triggered a story idea,
which led to more questions”(Collins, 2011, pg. 218).
She went on to ask,“Is it possible to be an independent
thinker, constantly digesting information and disinformation, and I am never
alone with my own thoughts?” (Teachingbooks.net, n.d.).
After numerous rewrites over many years the book was finally published. Book as Object
The
first thing that I noticed about this book is how the girl pictured on the
front reminds me of a young Kirsten Dunst circa the Little Women film. She looks somewhat mysterious, which is aided by the
fact that she is glancing over her shoulder and not quite directly at the
camera. The brown tones of the image also add to this effect. The back cover
isn’t quite as appealing and doesn’t seem to flow nicely from the front. This
paperback book fits nicely in my hand. It’s labeled as a teen book, but the
trim size of the book makes it seem more for children. Once I opened it up and
saw varying chapter lengths and smaller print I realized that the teen category
does make more sense. The chapters are labeled with the date and day of the
week, which will help to have a timeline as I’m reading.
Reading Journal
What happened to me as I read?
While I found this book less
engaging than the last one, I was still interested in it, as I enjoy reading YA
books, especially dystopian in nature. I think this is because I like to
imagine worlds and scenarios that are completely unfamiliar, and seeing what an
author can come up with that still makes it realistic. There were a few times
that I got caught up in the book and forgot about taking notes, but not often
enough to say that I forgot that I was supposed to be thinking about it. Rather
than getting really into what was happening to the characters, I was more
interested in having my questions answered as to how this community was formed.
I think this is a prime example of how we are wired to be curious and ask
questions, and how the rules against questions in this Community are so against
the grain!
Responses caused by the reader's personal history
I have always enjoyed reading books of a
fantastical nature, starting with Charlotte’s
Web and The Chronicles of Narnia.
In more recent years I’ve enjoyed reading the Hunger Games. As soon as I saw that this book was set in the future,
I knew that I would enjoy it (although, hard as it is to think of, 2021 is only
7 years away!!). Near the end of the book it’s revealed that this Community is
in Saskatchewan,
and within a no-fly zone. I couldn’t help but imagine it as being located
between Saskatoon
and Outlook (where my parents lived for the last 10 years), as there is a
military base there that has a no-fly zone. It was fun to imagine it being in a
place that I’ve driven by numerous times!
Responses caused by the reader's history as a reader
While
reading this book I had a lot of questions, most of which were eventually
answered as the book developed. I would say it was the right story for the
right time, as it was a fun read to conclude the course with. The category of
teen was somewhat confusing at first, and I wondered if, based on the young
girl on the front and my thoughts as I read it, it would make more sense for it
to be in juvenile fiction (9-12). I do think that an 11 or 12 year old, or
perhaps even a bit younger, would enjoy this book, and I don’t think it would
translate well too far into the teenage years (perhaps 14 or so).
Responses caused by the text alone
As with Me and Mr. Bell, I felt that the first person narration in this
book drew me in. It allows me to see this unusual Community with the eyes of a
young girl who grew up here. As Katherine questions things and learns answers
to her questions, so does the reader (albeit slightly before her at times!). I
really enjoyed the free verse after each chapter; they give another glimpse of
Katherine’s individuality and even more insight into what her emotions are.
*Spoiler Alerts Galore*
Here are a few of my thoughts and questions
as I read through the book, along with what I discovered as I read!
- Why can’t they ask questions? Does
it promote individual thinking too much, which would mean loss of control?
These questions are answered as part of the Manifesto: “My questions are
irrelevant, as they only serve me” (Collins, 2011, pg. 27) and “In a perfect
society, people treat each other with respect. They do not ask questions or
assume rights to information that does not belong to them. To continue to
question is to hold onto a spirit of innovation and individuality” (Collins,
2011, pg. 55).
- What is the Ecological Revolution
of 1979? It turns out that, along with other things such as unstable air, it is
a made up event to convince the members of the community to stay put.
- Why are Katherine’s parents so
insistent on her following the rules and not asking questions when they are
breaking the rules themselves by having colour and other expressions of
individuality? They want to keep each other and their family safe, and regret
acting in rebellion as it has endangered Katherine. “We made too many
concessions when you were younger. … We brought color into this home instead of
being responsible role models to show you how to respect the entire Manifesto”
(Collins, 2011, pg. 69).
- The section where Katherine
decides to break into the Community Hall, and overhears a few conversations
really gave a lot of information. I immediately wondered why it didn’t cross her mind that her dad is part of the
secret leadership; it took her another whole page to think of that! I quickly
realized that he isn’t part of it already, but being asked to consider it,
which seems strange considering his background and rebellious daughter. This
conversation was also where I first wondered if Katherine’s mother really miscarried
numerous times or if she had been forced to have abortions; while I don’t
remember this ever being completely confirmed, it’s implied that whatever is in
the syringe Father gave her caused her to miscarry.
- While the only real technology to
speak of is the Remote in each house, it quickly becomes apparent that there
are other instances of it as well. This is seen in the laptop in Father’s
office, the electric fence around the perimeter of the Community, and the
evidence of planes high above (“sky scratchings
– the white lines that move high on the cloudless blue skies” (Collins, 2011,
pg. 89-90)).
- Who is the Planet Keeper? There is
no evidence of a structured religion in this Community, but this is very much
portrayed as a godhead figure in Katherine’s life. Is this something that the
author just never goes into detail, or something that Katherine has made up?
Unfortunately, we never really get an answer to this, and it feels rather
inconsistent that Katherine has almost a relationship with a godhead figure
that no one else talks about or mentions.
- Chapter 8 is a great chapter for
hearing the story of how this Community got started and developed, as told to
Katherine by her mother. Later on, at the end of the book, Father gives
Katherine, and therefore the reader, more information as to why and how this
community really started. It seems that it’s all a big experiment in
Socialism/Communism.
- Things seem to come together quite
well for Katherine at the end of the book and all wraps up quite neatly. I find
it somewhat hard to believe that all of Anna’s and Katherine’s family would be
ready and willing to get in a helicopter, without really knowing what’s going
on or where they are going.
While many questions were answered,
I still have some unanswered questions, such as how Katherine’s parents knew
what was going on. Did they only find out when Father showed Katherine’s dad
media? Or did they know before then? What problems did they see and wonder
about but never address? Who exactly are the Aunts and Uncles and how exactly
did this Community get set up, especially so secretively? Where did the 100
orphans come from? How will they all adapt to the outside world? What will happen
to the organizers of this Community?
What does this book ask of readers?
This book asks readers to suspend
their disbelief for the duration of the story. While not set that far in the
future, it is set in an unfamiliar setting and environment. They need to be
willing to see this Community from the perspective of Katherine, who knows no
different. Having a basic understanding of communism and socialism isn’t
necessary, but would serve to enrich the story. There are a number of
unfamiliar phrases and words, such as Domicile Inspection, Level One, Harvest
Break, the Remote, Life Role, etc. However, these are all either easily
understood or explained at some point in the book.
Review Comparison
The book review I found for this book is by Charlotte Duggan
in CM Magazine. Just as I experienced, Duggan comments that “the constructs of
the Community are revealed in intriguing and subtle bits of information, and
readers struggle to locate the story in time and place … Readers wonder right
along with her” (Duggan, 2012, para. 1).
I would disagree with Duggan’s comment that the story “builds
towards an exciting climax” (Duggan, 2012, para. 2), as I felt that the story
never really built; rather, it tried and failed. This is partially, as Duggan
notes, because of the “sudden introduction of new characters, plot information
and ideas” (Duggan, 2012, para. 2) and the quick ending that takes place. While
it’s a neat and tidy ending, it leaves quite a few threads hanging and I felt
was too quick.
I agree with Duggan's analysis that with its emphasis on family relationships, the need for
truth and answers, and the air of mystery, this book would be a good
recommendation for a young reader who enjoys dystopian literature.
References
Collins, PJ. (2011). What
happened to Serenity? Markham, Ontario: Red
Deer Press.
Collins, PJ. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://pjsarahcollins.wordpress.com/
Duggan, C.
(2012). What happened to Serenity? CM: Canadian Review of Materials, 18(22).
Retrieved from http://www.umanitoba.ca/outreach/cm/
Teachingbooks.net (Producer). (n.d.). What happened to Serenity? Meet-the-author book reading [Audio
podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.teachingbooks.net/book_reading.cgi?id=8250&a=1
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