The author: Cristin Bishara
The rating: 4 stars
I should have felt a strong connection with Relativity's science-geek protagonist, Ruby Wright. I'm the girl who got weird looks in tenth grade writing class for spending silent reading pouring over Brian Greene's The Hidden Reality; I'm the girl whose best friend refused to go anywhere with her for weeks after she dragged her to a university lecture on the Casimir effect in grade eleven. I'd be a tremendous hypocrite to say that teenagers can't know the things that Ruby knows or like the things that Ruby likes. But despite our parallels, I didn't feel that connection. Throughout Relativity, the thought that Ruby was just a caricature of a teenager niggled at the back of my mind, and it was an idea that proved impossible to shake. I felt an immense sense of secondhand embarrassment during all text-messaging scenes, the kind you get when your grandmother tells you she got an account on The Facebook, but even discounting those, so much of Ruby seems to be lifted from an extremely unimaginative stereotype of what a teenager is. Angsty, lusty, rebellious, precocious, self-centered... our intelligent protagonist hates pink and all things girly, while her evil stepsister is well-dressed and vain. Also, for someone who's so into math and science, you'd think that Ruby would be more cognisant of the distinction between a theory and a hypothesis, that she would know that the 'law of averages' does not exist, and that she'd be the slightest bit familiar with a Caesar cipher.
Honestly, I'm being far too critical. I'm thrilled that a YA author chose to make a science-loving protagonist, and my standards are probably just too high since it hits so close to home. So lets stop dwelling on the negatives and let me get to the parts of Relativity that I loved.
First off: the premise. Science fiction is not written enough for the young adult market (aside from dystopians, but I can't complain about those), and so Bishara definitely brings something fresh to the table with Relativity. While its definitely a difficult plot to pitch -- I consistently was treated to raised eyebrows when I responded to "what's that book about?" with "a girl who is traveling through parallel universes" -- I loved the incorporation of science into the setting. Sure, the end result of allowing Ruby to explore the 'what-ifs' of her existence could have been done just as easily by some magic MacGuffin or faery sidekick, but the use of sci-fi instead of fantasy is a welcome change.
The settings themselves are also superb, the slight (or drastic) shifts between the universes, impeccable. Bishara works in some wonderful juxtaposition between the homes in which the other Rubies and her other families live; between the high schools; between Ennis and O Direain as wholes. While the plotline itself isn't exactly novel (as I wrote before I started reading, "If this book ends with the 'twist' that her original life was best all along, I will have just wasted 288 pages of my life"), the setting and premise make the familiar trek well worth the journey. For those familiar with Christopher Booker's idea of the seven plots of fiction, Relativity fits the "Voyage and Return" plot to a T. To quote for those unfamiliar:
...hero or heroine... travel out of their familiar, everyday 'normal' surroundings into another world completely cut off from the first, where everything seems disconcertingly abnormal. At first the strangeness of this new world, with its freaks and marvels, may seem diverting, even exhilarating, if also highly perplexing. But gradually a shadow intrudes. The hero or heroine feels increasingly threatened, even trapped: until eventually (usually by way of a 'thrilling escape') they are released from the abnormal world, and can return to the safety of the familiar world where they began.So yes, just by the little blurb on the dust jacket you may know how Relativity will turn out, but the interesting premise and engaging adventure make the journey much more important than the destination. I'll definitely be checking out Bishara's future efforts, in this universe and in all others.
No comments:
Post a Comment