Author: Christina Meldrum
Genre: contemporary, surrealism
Series: N/A
Pages: 410
Published: May 2008
Source: purchased
Rating: 3/5
The secrets of the past meet the shocks of the present.
Aslaug is an unusual young woman. Her mother has brought her up in near isolation, teaching her about plants and nature and language—but not about life. Especially not how she came to have her own life, and who her father might be.
When Aslaug’s mother dies unexpectedly, everything changes. For Aslaug is a suspect in her mother’s death. And the more her story unravels, the more questions unfold. About the nature of Aslaug’s birth. About what she should do next.
About whether divine miracles have truly happened. And whether, when all other explanations are impossible, they might still happen this very day.
Addictive, thought-provoking, and shocking, Madapple is a page-turning exploration of human nature and divine intervention—and of the darkest corners of the human soul.
For their latest Forgotten Fridays pick, the ladies at Great Imaginations selcted Madapple by Christina Meldrum. Pixie and Kara were not able to finish the book, unfortunately, but Lyn and I read the book this month, and got together for the discussion post! Thank you, Jessie!
Lyn: So! Madapple! Was it mad enough for you?
Lyn:
I was expecting something a bit crazy from this one, since I have seen a
few reviews talking about the level of intensity. And no one was
exaggerating. This one was a total trip, and it was different and set up
a character who was honestly sheltered and slightly on the lower end of
the intelligence scale, which was wonderful. I’m sure that there was a
lot working against her, and it does take a toll on young people when
they do not get the proper amount of nutrients or medical care.
Jessie:
I liked the unusuality of the POV used here. It’s honestly not one seen
much in contemporary YA; in fact the whole feel, tone, and voice of
this book is just very ~different from the norm. Add in the religious
elements, the horticulture, and the unreliable narrator, it adds up to a
really memorable experience. I can see why it’s not a book for everyone
(there were admittedly parts where my eyes glazed over and I had to
reread sections) but I liked that the author took some risks. Some
aspects played out better than others, but I can say that Aslaug and Madapple weren’t ever predictable.
Lyn: I
like how you pointed out that there was no predictability – I couldn’t
stop reading this one because I kept thinking, “What the hell is going
to happen now?” And then, the unreliable narrator. Have I ever mentioned
before how much I love them? Because I do. I feel like the reader has
to flesh out some of the other aspects while trying to decode what is
really happening. This was one book where I didn’t have all of the
answers, but I was okay with it, because in this story, I think that
Aslaug was not the only confused, mislead person.
On the religion, I thought that it was
going to be a big turn off for me, but I liked how the author was
dissecting and exposing the center of manic religion in her texts. She
all but admitted that most popular religions are recycled material, and
how people use religion as a weapon, and not a tool. Most people are
honestly in it for their own gains, and not for the goodwill of others.
It was brilliant how the author was open ended yet very transparent in
her own take on the inside world of fanatic religion. I thought it
really added that extra tension and insanity to the plot.
Jessie: The religion angle was handled better than I expected but it also was pretty dry and lifeless. I liked that Madapple
and its characters explored various angles and influences on
Christianity and the effect of religion on people, but those were the
sections that dragged the most for me. I found myself way way more
invested in the cutaway chapters set during the child. Watching that
second storyline develop as your understanding of the main plot
continues was a really cool reading experience. It reminded me of The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly, and that is a good thing.
I was pretty hands-off about the romance,
though. It definitely was my second least favorite part to both the
story and to Aslaug’s characterization.
Lyn:
Oh, the “romance”. That was really difficult, and I thought that it
almost worked. I can see the fresh angle that the author was working:
Here we have a girl that was shut away from people her own age, so it
was natural that a teenager who develop a strong crush on the first boy
that paid her any mind, even though they were related. She used the
crutch of “virgin birth” to justify her feelings, and even though she
knew deep down that it was wrong, she had never dealt with proper
socialization with people of the opposite gender. It was quite easy to
exploit Aslaug due to her shut-away life. It creeped me out, but I
understood that it could happen, and how everyone was using a lie to
hide away from the ugly truth.
However, I lost a lot of, um, artistic
respect for the “romance” because the author pushed so hard that it was
never rape. If a girl is drugged, even if she shows interest in a guy,
it is still rape, and it severely pissed me off that the author just
brushed it off. I had to grapple with a lot of anger over this.
Jessie:
See, my interpretation of the romance was different but I didn’t like
it any better, hahaha. I didn’t think “virgin birth” was a crutch to
Aslaug. I think she was so upset and confused, she genuinely believed it
was an authentic possibility. I don’t think she had a motive or
intentionally wanted to deceive but that her subconscious latched onto
the easiest answer; the one her own mother had used herself to shield
her own shame and anger and guilt over the circumstances of Aslaug’s
conception. That part I didn’t mind so much. What I minded where the
other three points you brought up: that Rune was the first man of her
own age she had ever met, that they were related/raised together for a
time, and that Aslaug could not give consent in the state she was in
when the baby was conceived.
Those issues are massive, to me. I cannot
support any of the romance for those reasons. It’s icky and gross and
the fact that none of it is addressed by the author lowered my rating
majorly.
Lyn:
I hope I didn’t give the impression that I was condoning the romance,
because, yes, it wasn’t there to “ship” characters, but as a prop for
the “virgin birth”. But I have to totally agree with you. I would have
given this book 5 whole stars if the rape was addressed. Aslaug called
the right shot, and she was talked out of it, and when Rune still later
denies that it was consensual, and a FREAKING LAW OF COURT DOESN’T
ARGUE, then we have a problem. Even if she was not drugged, then I still
would have called it rape – this girl had some real issues and could
have easily been pushed or convinced that it was okay. The fact that she
was drugged and it was never rightfully called “rape” shocked me. I was
hoping to read in the last chapter that Rune’s ass was serving time for
kidnapping and rape, but it was just glossed over, and I truly believe
that a book aimed towards a young female audience needs to take more
responsibility with issues of consent and rape.
Jessie:
I also thought the finale was a bit cheesy and simple. The declarations
of love! The reuniting! The happy ending! Well maybe it was not 100%
happy; Aslaug will still have issues and their family is not a healthy
one, but it wasn’t exactly fitting for the story that preceded it.
Lyn:
That ending upset me as well. You can’t tell me that she was balanced
and okay. I don’t like to tell people how to write their stories. But I
can say I think in this situation, the child taken by social services
and given up for adoption, and Aslaug slowly building a relationship
would have been more realistic. I am also fairly certain that a person
who went to court to testify that you murdered your mother, fully
believing that it was true, would just turn the other cheek and accept
the outcome. That isn’t rational or realistic. The ending didn’t fit
with the overall darker, grittier tone of the novel. For the love of all
things unholy, this girl was tied to a bed, raped, and forced into
birthing a child, and then wasn’t even really allowed to be a mother.
That isn’t just going to be cured with love or happy thoughts. That is
years of therapy right there. That isn’t right to rig the ending for
something sappy and light when the rest of the book was cold, cruel and
shocking.
Jessie: Final rating? For me: 3 out of 5 stars.
The mythology and the storytelling were top notch (and different!
Norse!); I also liked the writing and the originality of this book and
its off-the-walls plot. Just not enough to completely overcome the
issues I otherwise had with Madapple.
Meldrum has talent and imagination, that much is clear. I don’t know
that I would rec this to every contemporary fan, but those who like
darker edges to their YA would probably enjoy it.
Lyn:
I think I am going to stick with 4. I loved the Norse mythology, the
Danish, and the utter horrifying setting of the novel. But there were
some HUGE ISSUES with this book.
Okay, I lied. I think 3.5. The more I think about the ending, the angrier I am becoming.
Check out some of our other discussion reviews:
- A Thousand Nights by E. K. Johnston
- Silver in the Blood by Jessica Day George
- Beastkeeper by Cat Hellisen
- Black Iris by Leah Raeder (with Kara, also of Great Imaginations)
- Conjured by Sarah Beth Durst
- Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma (also with Kara of Great Imaginations and Bekka of Pretty Deadly Reviews)
- Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone by Kat Rosenfeld (also with Pixie of Great Imaginations)
No comments:
Post a Comment