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A review by samwreads
Gifts by Ursula K. Le Guin
3.0
(read as part of the social distancing book club 2020)
This is a hard book to rate because it is so extremely well written and "tight" in the narrative sense that I think it's actually a seriously impressive accomplishment. There is also a strong philosophical vein of thought and questioning that runs throughout, adding depth to what is on the surface the very simple story of a teenage boy coming to terms with himself and his family in a remote, almost medieval setting.
At the same time, the simplicity of the writing and lack of extraneous plot or characters does hurt in some ways. Specifically, all characters other than Orrec and his father are one-dimensional. This includes pretty much all female characters, who are generally virtuous to a fault and primarily serve to guide Orrec emotionally (or literally in the case of his dog). It's tricky because focusing so solely on Orrec does serve the tautness of the narrative, but I think it comes at a cost.
In discussing this with our friends, we talked a lot about how this compares with Earthsea, and specifically the first book in that series. It's an interesting comparison because while both are aimed at young adults, "Gifts" is in a lot of ways the complete opposite of Earthsea. It's about a boy (Orrec) whose gift comes to him with difficulty, whereas Ged's came easily. Its events span a few years, whereas those in Earthsea span decades. It's so integrally about Orrec's relationships with his parents, whereas Ged's relationships are forged at school, away from any family. I think LeGuin took a lot of the thought she found in later books (including later in the Earthsea series) and took it back here and it shows. It's less of a rousing coming-of-age adventure fantasy, and more of a story about learning the importance of relationships and how there is a lot of strength in people without powers or gifts.
This is a hard book to rate because it is so extremely well written and "tight" in the narrative sense that I think it's actually a seriously impressive accomplishment. There is also a strong philosophical vein of thought and questioning that runs throughout, adding depth to what is on the surface the very simple story of a teenage boy coming to terms with himself and his family in a remote, almost medieval setting.
At the same time, the simplicity of the writing and lack of extraneous plot or characters does hurt in some ways. Specifically, all characters other than Orrec and his father are one-dimensional. This includes pretty much all female characters, who are generally virtuous to a fault and primarily serve to guide Orrec emotionally (or literally in the case of his dog). It's tricky because focusing so solely on Orrec does serve the tautness of the narrative, but I think it comes at a cost.
In discussing this with our friends, we talked a lot about how this compares with Earthsea, and specifically the first book in that series. It's an interesting comparison because while both are aimed at young adults, "Gifts" is in a lot of ways the complete opposite of Earthsea. It's about a boy (Orrec) whose gift comes to him with difficulty, whereas Ged's came easily. Its events span a few years, whereas those in Earthsea span decades. It's so integrally about Orrec's relationships with his parents, whereas Ged's relationships are forged at school, away from any family. I think LeGuin took a lot of the thought she found in later books (including later in the Earthsea series) and took it back here and it shows. It's less of a rousing coming-of-age adventure fantasy, and more of a story about learning the importance of relationships and how there is a lot of strength in people without powers or gifts.