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Book Review: Madapple by Christina Meldrum
Title: Madapple
Author: Christina Meldrum
Published: New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2007
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 410
Total Page Count: 59,202
Text Number: 169
Read For/Because: author interview on NPR passed on by my mother, checked out from the library
Short review: Aslaug has been brought up in near isolation by her mother, taught a wealth of knowledge including the lore and uses of local plants. Orphaned by her mother's sudden death, Aslaug sets out to find the family that she never knew she had, leading her into a dense mystery of botany, religion, genealogy—and tragedy. This is a startling and unique book: its intriguing premise, ongoing mystery, and unusual protagonist keep the reader hooked, and the numerous subjects provide ample food for thought. Unfortunately, the pacing becomes increasingly hurried as the book goes on, shortchanging the conclusion and the myriad themes. Nonetheless I recommend Madapple—while not perfect, it is a captivating novel rich with unusual subjects, complex characters, and careful thought.
Regional herbalism and botanical mythology; Pentecostal Christianity, paganism, and virgin births; mysterious genealogies, familial relationships, and potential incest; murder investigations, adolescence, appearance and reality, events and motivations—Madapple is a rich combination of a plethora of subjects and themes. The variety may seem random and illogical, but Meldrum weaves these many aspects into one whole—a whole which is all the more meaningful and unique for its complexity. Balancing characters against subjects and plot against surprisingly natural exposition, combining herbalism and religion so smoothly that they appear intrinsically connected, Meldrum creates an intriguing, convincing, unique novel. Aslaug explores an unusual world from an even more unusual viewpoint, and her journey is captures the reader and provides plenty of of food for thought.
Meldrum's subjects are bold and, on the whole, brilliantly realized—but the latter half of the book moves at an increasingly fast pace, and there simply isn't enough time to explore later subjects to the depths they deserve. The increasing pace, skipping weeks and then months and then years, allows the book to cover more plot but mostly serves to make the reader wonder why Meldrum didn't simply condense the plotline. The conclusion itself is too brief and seems artificially complete, even more so because of the complexity of the story that proceeds it, and the last exploration of the book's themes ring true but also a bit trite.
This isn't to say that the end of book is a disappointment: the plot has a satisfying climax and many of the subjects and themes continue to the end. Nonetheless, the conclusion is not as good as it could be or as the rest of the book is. If it were better, this would be a spectacular novel. As it is, Madapple is intriguing, promising, and brave, strongly written with a mystical voice and a convincing protagonist, containing more complexity in its premise alone than many novels contain in their entire length—but it is not all that it could be. I enjoyed it and I highly recommend it to all readers, youth or adult (for its complexity and some of the subject matter, I'm not convinced it belongs in the YA category; I think it is best for older teens and adults), who find the concept intriguing. It is a rare gift to find a book that stretches so far and aims so high as this does. But I also look forward to more from Meldrum, to see what she can achieve now that she has the experience of one published novel.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
Author: Christina Meldrum
Published: New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2007
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 410
Total Page Count: 59,202
Text Number: 169
Read For/Because: author interview on NPR passed on by my mother, checked out from the library
Short review: Aslaug has been brought up in near isolation by her mother, taught a wealth of knowledge including the lore and uses of local plants. Orphaned by her mother's sudden death, Aslaug sets out to find the family that she never knew she had, leading her into a dense mystery of botany, religion, genealogy—and tragedy. This is a startling and unique book: its intriguing premise, ongoing mystery, and unusual protagonist keep the reader hooked, and the numerous subjects provide ample food for thought. Unfortunately, the pacing becomes increasingly hurried as the book goes on, shortchanging the conclusion and the myriad themes. Nonetheless I recommend Madapple—while not perfect, it is a captivating novel rich with unusual subjects, complex characters, and careful thought.
Regional herbalism and botanical mythology; Pentecostal Christianity, paganism, and virgin births; mysterious genealogies, familial relationships, and potential incest; murder investigations, adolescence, appearance and reality, events and motivations—Madapple is a rich combination of a plethora of subjects and themes. The variety may seem random and illogical, but Meldrum weaves these many aspects into one whole—a whole which is all the more meaningful and unique for its complexity. Balancing characters against subjects and plot against surprisingly natural exposition, combining herbalism and religion so smoothly that they appear intrinsically connected, Meldrum creates an intriguing, convincing, unique novel. Aslaug explores an unusual world from an even more unusual viewpoint, and her journey is captures the reader and provides plenty of of food for thought.
Meldrum's subjects are bold and, on the whole, brilliantly realized—but the latter half of the book moves at an increasingly fast pace, and there simply isn't enough time to explore later subjects to the depths they deserve. The increasing pace, skipping weeks and then months and then years, allows the book to cover more plot but mostly serves to make the reader wonder why Meldrum didn't simply condense the plotline. The conclusion itself is too brief and seems artificially complete, even more so because of the complexity of the story that proceeds it, and the last exploration of the book's themes ring true but also a bit trite.
This isn't to say that the end of book is a disappointment: the plot has a satisfying climax and many of the subjects and themes continue to the end. Nonetheless, the conclusion is not as good as it could be or as the rest of the book is. If it were better, this would be a spectacular novel. As it is, Madapple is intriguing, promising, and brave, strongly written with a mystical voice and a convincing protagonist, containing more complexity in its premise alone than many novels contain in their entire length—but it is not all that it could be. I enjoyed it and I highly recommend it to all readers, youth or adult (for its complexity and some of the subject matter, I'm not convinced it belongs in the YA category; I think it is best for older teens and adults), who find the concept intriguing. It is a rare gift to find a book that stretches so far and aims so high as this does. But I also look forward to more from Meldrum, to see what she can achieve now that she has the experience of one published novel.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.