Scan barcode
A review by punkassbookjockey84
Pure by Julianna Baggott
4.0
After a series of detonations obliterated civilization, life in the aftermath has continued. Some were protected from the blasts inside a Domed city and remained unscathed--the Pures. However, those left outside were left scarred and disfigured, fused to whatever object or creature was nearest them at the time. Sixteen year old Pressia lives with her grandfather in the rubble of an old barbershop, in hiding from the resistence militia that requires all her age to join. Partridge, though the same age, has lived in privilege in the dome. But these two are about to be thrust together in a fight for the truth, as well as a fight for their lives.
Like all dystopian futures, this world is the result of our current follies being magnified into our own destruction. In this case it's imperialist religion and a desire for dominance. The Dome was created to protect the chosen few from the bombs that "the enemy" would surely send their way. But of those who were invited to join, few made it to safety in time--something that was perhaps their intention all along. In a quest to build the perfect weapon, the genetic mutation aspect of these modified atomic bombs results in an amalgamation of things, people, and animals. Some fused with things--like Pressia's baby-doll--some with animals and other people, and some with buildings and the very earth itself. These fusings become so ingrained with each other that to remove one is to kill the entire thing. This aspect of the book is what was at times the most disturbing. Baggott's descriptions of the fusings are starkly visual and often frightening. The Pure leaders' desire to essentially start over and remake the world the way they see fit is one that seems increasingly plausible. What makes a good dystopian novel is the feeling that this could all really occur and Baggott's world is one that seems all too possible. I had some trouble getting into the book at first. Each section is from the point of view of a different character, which was a little tough to follow at first; but as I got further along the switching back and forth was barely noticeable. And once I got through the first few sections, I struggled to put it down. I especially like that whatever romance there is remains far in the background; so many books focus so much on the romance aspect that the rest is merely background. And don't go in thinking that this is a stand alone book--it definitely ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I am looking forward to the next book!
Like all dystopian futures, this world is the result of our current follies being magnified into our own destruction. In this case it's imperialist religion and a desire for dominance. The Dome was created to protect the chosen few from the bombs that "the enemy" would surely send their way. But of those who were invited to join, few made it to safety in time--something that was perhaps their intention all along. In a quest to build the perfect weapon, the genetic mutation aspect of these modified atomic bombs results in an amalgamation of things, people, and animals. Some fused with things--like Pressia's baby-doll--some with animals and other people, and some with buildings and the very earth itself. These fusings become so ingrained with each other that to remove one is to kill the entire thing. This aspect of the book is what was at times the most disturbing. Baggott's descriptions of the fusings are starkly visual and often frightening. The Pure leaders' desire to essentially start over and remake the world the way they see fit is one that seems increasingly plausible. What makes a good dystopian novel is the feeling that this could all really occur and Baggott's world is one that seems all too possible. I had some trouble getting into the book at first. Each section is from the point of view of a different character, which was a little tough to follow at first; but as I got further along the switching back and forth was barely noticeable. And once I got through the first few sections, I struggled to put it down. I especially like that whatever romance there is remains far in the background; so many books focus so much on the romance aspect that the rest is merely background. And don't go in thinking that this is a stand alone book--it definitely ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I am looking forward to the next book!