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A review by untravel
Very Far Away from Anywhere Else by Ursula K. Le Guin
3.0
In many cases, the term "Young Adult" can serve as a warning label--"ATTENTION: This Book is Simplistic and Didactic. May cause irritation."
Very Far Away From Anywhere Else seemed, at first glance, very much in that mold. But as I read further, I realized two things. First, the simplicity is somewhat deceptive. While it is almost entirely written in simple declarative sentences and filled with very basic observations, the structure becomes more complicated as it progresses. Seemingly banal plot points start to tie together, and by the end the work as a whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that's a good structure for a Young Adult novel to have. Young young adults get a simple story, older Young adults get something more.
So then I thought maybe the problem was that I'm not a Young Adult. One could easily retitle this book "Teenage Angst: Theory and Practice". Frequently, my response was something along the lines of 'tell me something I don't know'. I read Catcher in the Rye (et al) a long time ago. I remember, very distinctly, what being a teenager was like.
But of course, I had forgotten one thing: teenagers don't know what being a teenager is like. When you're that age, the experiences you later realize are ubiquitous and cliche are all new and fresh cut. The callouses, the scar tissue, haven't formed yet. They've happened to thousands of people before you and will happen to thousands more, but, very importantly, you don't realize that yet. The particular pain of that time of life is, in effect, the realization, the first awareness, of the pain itself. I had forgotten, and this book reminded me. So that's the second thing.
I wish I had read this book when I was younger. I would probably have remembered it fondly. But for now, I would only recommend it Young Adults, to those who remember what it was like to be a Young Adult, or those who feel the need to be reminded.
Very Far Away From Anywhere Else seemed, at first glance, very much in that mold. But as I read further, I realized two things. First, the simplicity is somewhat deceptive. While it is almost entirely written in simple declarative sentences and filled with very basic observations, the structure becomes more complicated as it progresses. Seemingly banal plot points start to tie together, and by the end the work as a whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that's a good structure for a Young Adult novel to have. Young young adults get a simple story, older Young adults get something more.
So then I thought maybe the problem was that I'm not a Young Adult. One could easily retitle this book "Teenage Angst: Theory and Practice". Frequently, my response was something along the lines of 'tell me something I don't know'. I read Catcher in the Rye (et al) a long time ago. I remember, very distinctly, what being a teenager was like.
But of course, I had forgotten one thing: teenagers don't know what being a teenager is like. When you're that age, the experiences you later realize are ubiquitous and cliche are all new and fresh cut. The callouses, the scar tissue, haven't formed yet. They've happened to thousands of people before you and will happen to thousands more, but, very importantly, you don't realize that yet. The particular pain of that time of life is, in effect, the realization, the first awareness, of the pain itself. I had forgotten, and this book reminded me. So that's the second thing.
I wish I had read this book when I was younger. I would probably have remembered it fondly. But for now, I would only recommend it Young Adults, to those who remember what it was like to be a Young Adult, or those who feel the need to be reminded.