Title: Nothing
Author: Janne Teller
Pages: 227
Audience: Young Adult
Source: library (Becky)
Rating: 5 I'd marry this book if it wasn't so utterly disturbing
Goodreads Summary:
When Pierre-Anthon realizes there is no meaning to life, the seventh-grader leaves his classroom, climbs a tree, and stays there. His classmates cannot make him come down, not even by pelting him with rocks. So to prove to Pierre-Anthon that life has meaning, the children decide to give up things of importance. The pile starts with the superficial—a fishing rod, a new pair of shoes. But as the sacrifices become more extreme, the students grow increasingly desperate to get Pierre-Anthon down, to justify their belief in meaning. Sure to prompt intense thought and discussion, Nothing—already a treasured work overseas—is not to be missed.
My Thoughts
You'd be hard pressed to find a more disturbing book, particularly for teens. It begins innocently enough but things begin to get more and more horrific so that you're hard pressed to pinpoint just when it changed. There were several times that I could not believe what I was reading and my jaw just dropped. Although the characters in this story are in middle school, the content is barely suited for juniors and seniors in high school and will still probably be too horrific for most of them. Far from being disturbing solely for the sensationalism, this book has a core of horrific existentialism and truth that I think will resonate with most people, much as we don't want it to. Does life hold any meaning, and if so where and how. This would be an interesting book club book, although I think it would be difficult to get parents to sign off on it.
You'd be hard pressed to find a more disturbing book, particularly for teens. It begins innocently enough but things begin to get more and more horrific so that you're hard pressed to pinpoint just when it changed. There were several times that I could not believe what I was reading and my jaw just dropped. Although the characters in this story are in middle school, the content is barely suited for juniors and seniors in high school and will still probably be too horrific for most of them. Far from being disturbing solely for the sensationalism, this book has a core of horrific existentialism and truth that I think will resonate with most people, much as we don't want it to. Does life hold any meaning, and if so where and how. This would be an interesting book club book, although I think it would be difficult to get parents to sign off on it.
Wow this sounds different and I must admit you have piqued my curiosity
ReplyDeleteThis sounds so original and different. I'll have to check it out! NEW FOLLOWER
ReplyDelete