Summary
After overhearing his father say he was going to kill all seven of them, Yann Doutreleau wakes his six older brothers and tells them they must flee to the ocean. On this stormy night, Yann, tiny and silent, leads his brothers out of their house on a journey West. The brothers, all twins except for Yann, are helped along the way by a truck driver and baker amongst others. It is a captivating tale of brotherhood and a quest for something more.
Critical Analysis
The novel itself is written from many different perspectives: the Doutrleau brothers and parents, the people who interact with the boys, and eventually Yann. All the names of the people (both first and last) are authentically French and provide a better context for the story. The story itself, could have taken place in any run-down rural area of the U.S. or Europe. By leaving the names, like Yann, Pierre, and Rémy, the reader understands that this is does not take place in the States.
There were two other things that stood out to me. First, in English, we say "Mom went outside." However, in Romance languages (such as French) they literally say "The mom went outside." An article is used with that type of noun. The translation is rather literal in that sense. It uses the article in front of mom and dad. Another small difference is that the baker in the story actually bakes bread. This wasn't something the boys could go to the grocery store and buy sliced up like we do here.
Review Excerpts
The Batchelder Award
Prix Socixieres (France)
A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
An ALA Notable Book
A Bank Street College of Education Best Book
School Library Journal, Starred review, January 1, 2007: "A well-crafted mystery awaits anyone reading this fabled jigsaw puzzle . . . a memorable novel that readers will find engaging and intellectually satisfying."
Publishers Weekly, Starred review, January 1, 2007: "Mourlevat enchantingly blends the harshly read and the make-believe ... [in this] effectively haunting, fluidly translated tale."
Connections
Look for books with similar teen stories:
Garinger, Alan K. Alone : the journey of the boy Sims. ISBN: 978-0-87195-2660
Choyce, Lesley. Last chance. ISBN: 978-1-55277-445-8
No comments:
Post a Comment