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A review by mariahistryingtoread
Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver
3.0
Liesl and Po is an average read. I do not have much to complain about but on the other hand I don't have much to praise either. Being average doesn't have to be a bad thing. On the contrary, to be average is to fulfill all expectations which to a point can be quite satisfying. Such is the case with Liesl and Po.
Liesl has all the makings of a fairytale heroine. She has an evil stepmother, is locked away in an attic and her father died under mysterious circumstances. She's strong of heart, quick footed and loyal to a fault. All she needs is a friend to get the ball rolling on her adventure.
Enter Po the ghost.
The ghost lore is the strongest part of the book. Every norm or construct in the human world such as gender, boundaries and emotions mean nothing to ghosts. It makes for an interesting contrast. Liesl obviously ascribes to social norms because she's a human girl. But, Po has no such qualms and no inclination to fall in line either. And it's not even malicious intent. It's just that social convention and minutiae no longer register.
I mean, what's the point in smiling when you're a dead person? You don't feel happiness and you have no desire to put anyone at ease. As Po is exposed to the human world more, it begins to subconsciously act more human though it's not a complete transformation. I thought this was such a refreshing world building choice.
That being said, I did take issue with pronoun usage. Since there is no gender ghosts go by 'it'. It as a pronoun has an extremely negative connotation. I believe there are people out there who have chosen to reclaim it, however, as far as I can see that is still a very, very small faction of the larger community.
Also pronouns can reflect gender but they aren't gender specific ie non binary individuals can go by he, she, they or xe because they don't ascribe to the binary at all and pronouns are just what they prefer to use totally disconnected from gender as a concept. Po could have gone by he or a third pronoun instead of using one that carries such stigma. In the books’ defense this came out in 2011 when we were not yet as evolved in terms of gender politics so I can understand why a third pronoun might not have been considered. However, I still firmly believe ‘he’ could have been used in place of ‘it’ at the very least.
There is technically a deuteragonist who shares the page with Liesl. I say technically because he is meant to be the secondary protagonist though in practice he feels more like a supporting character. Even as a supporting character I found his inclusion unnecessary. Liesl and Po had a strong bond that balanced each other out well. Will was fundamentally useless after kicking off the story which he could have easily done without rising to such prominence. There is not a single thing he meaningfully contributes that makes him crucial to the narrative.
There is a mystery underscoring the novel. But, since the book follows multiple characters it's relatively simple to piece it all together. I think it's supposed to be an ironic kind of thing like 'oh if only they knew Character A has already got the box!' Most of the time it works though it is mildly frustrating as it feels like a crutch. It's almost like Oliver didn't trust the reader to stay invested without all the pieces or she didn't trust herself to write a real puzzle. Either way it was the main reason for the story not feeling particularly unique.
This was fun. It was what I wanted at the time. I took a chance on a random audiobook which is always a bit of a gamble. Thankfully, it turned out alright. It’s a casual kind of recommendation - if you don’t read it you aren’t losing out all that much.
Liesl has all the makings of a fairytale heroine. She has an evil stepmother, is locked away in an attic and her father died under mysterious circumstances. She's strong of heart, quick footed and loyal to a fault. All she needs is a friend to get the ball rolling on her adventure.
Enter Po the ghost.
The ghost lore is the strongest part of the book. Every norm or construct in the human world such as gender, boundaries and emotions mean nothing to ghosts. It makes for an interesting contrast. Liesl obviously ascribes to social norms because she's a human girl. But, Po has no such qualms and no inclination to fall in line either. And it's not even malicious intent. It's just that social convention and minutiae no longer register.
I mean, what's the point in smiling when you're a dead person? You don't feel happiness and you have no desire to put anyone at ease. As Po is exposed to the human world more, it begins to subconsciously act more human though it's not a complete transformation. I thought this was such a refreshing world building choice.
That being said, I did take issue with pronoun usage. Since there is no gender ghosts go by 'it'. It as a pronoun has an extremely negative connotation. I believe there are people out there who have chosen to reclaim it, however, as far as I can see that is still a very, very small faction of the larger community.
Also pronouns can reflect gender but they aren't gender specific ie non binary individuals can go by he, she, they or xe because they don't ascribe to the binary at all and pronouns are just what they prefer to use totally disconnected from gender as a concept. Po could have gone by he or a third pronoun instead of using one that carries such stigma. In the books’ defense this came out in 2011 when we were not yet as evolved in terms of gender politics so I can understand why a third pronoun might not have been considered. However, I still firmly believe ‘he’ could have been used in place of ‘it’ at the very least.
There is technically a deuteragonist who shares the page with Liesl. I say technically because he is meant to be the secondary protagonist though in practice he feels more like a supporting character. Even as a supporting character I found his inclusion unnecessary. Liesl and Po had a strong bond that balanced each other out well. Will was fundamentally useless after kicking off the story which he could have easily done without rising to such prominence. There is not a single thing he meaningfully contributes that makes him crucial to the narrative.
There is a mystery underscoring the novel. But, since the book follows multiple characters it's relatively simple to piece it all together. I think it's supposed to be an ironic kind of thing like 'oh if only they knew Character A has already got the box!' Most of the time it works though it is mildly frustrating as it feels like a crutch. It's almost like Oliver didn't trust the reader to stay invested without all the pieces or she didn't trust herself to write a real puzzle. Either way it was the main reason for the story not feeling particularly unique.
This was fun. It was what I wanted at the time. I took a chance on a random audiobook which is always a bit of a gamble. Thankfully, it turned out alright. It’s a casual kind of recommendation - if you don’t read it you aren’t losing out all that much.