Upon his arrival, it seems clear this is not a normal place. No cars, no internet, no hotel even! The inhabitants of the small island are very hospitable, and even provide him with a place to stay, and food to eat, free of charge. The youngest person he meets, Merle, looks to be around his age. There are no children whatsoever. He also can't seem to find any sign of the orchids he has heard so much about. Strangest of all, he seems unconcerned about it. His mind grows foggy at times, and he forgets what he has come to the island to do entirely. The charger for his device (containing all his notes for work) has disappeared. Something isn't right.
Time continues to roll backwards through the book. Our next vignette is from 2011. Same island, different characters..but there seems to be something familiar.
We go back once more to 1944: the war is on - while the island itself remains neutral - no one is safe form the violence. A lost pilot is rescued by a reluctant family. Again there is familiarity, in a name, in an action.
1902: The turn of the century brings us to the home of a young girl and her mother, known for her skill in preparing medicines and potions from herbs. Primarily she used the dragon orchid. One day while gathering them, her daughter strays to an enormous house. She is warned to stay away, but that only makes her want to go more. Inside is a famous painter, and his final masterpiece. It depicts the sacrifice for which the island is named: blessed by blood. A king sacrificed himself for the good of his people. Again there is familiarity.
As we continue to follow these characters through time, we begin to see patterns emerging. The writing is compelling, but also hauntingly beautiful. The story is complex, but not to the point of confusion. The mystery unfolds slowly giving you time to draw your own conclusions, and I admit, it sparked my curiosity to do further research into the culture and mythology. When I finished the last page, I wanted to start it again. I don't know of higher praise. It was announced (yesterday) that this book won the 2014 Prinz for Excellence in Young Adult Fiction, and I couldn't agree more.
"'The theme is old, but not outdated,' he explained, feeling bewildered. 'And it refers to the island, this island, whose very name is written in blood!'*Library Link*
'Really?' said one of the men.
'Indeed. People think the name of this island means "blessed," and so it does, but "blessed" does not mean what people think it does. In the old tongue it was bletsian and before that blotsian, and before that, just blod. It means sacrifice.
Sacrifice.
'To bless means to sacrifice, and in blood,'" (Sedgwick pg 164, 2013).
If you liked this, check out:
She is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick (April 2014)
Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick
More Than This by Patrick Ness
The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan
Sedgwick, M. (2013). Midwinter blood. New York: Roaring Brook Press.
No comments:
Post a Comment