Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

(In which I embarked on a short trip away from fantasy.)

***

It is starting to become a habit. But it’s a habit I think I won’t regret, or stop doing.

What I mean is, this trailer.

And then this book.

The knot I felt in my stomach the moment Ed Sheeran was introduced by that strum is undeniable. I knew the movie is going to be painful -- like Nicholas Sparks and John Green kind of painful. But I took the risks.

And after reading the novel, I realized I wasn’t wrong. Well, I wasn’t entirely wrong.

Lou (short for Louisa) has lived a pretty normal life in Stortfold, even boring to some people’s standards. When The Buttered Bun, the café she’s worked in for the last six years, closed up shop, she was forced to seek out employment in the Job Center, eventually ending up as a carer to Will Traynor, a wealthy quadriplegic.

Camilla, Will’s mother, hired Lou primarily because she wanted her to cheer Will up since Lou is apparently bereft of any medical training. Lou struggled to survive Will’s constant sarcasm and downright rudeness because her family needs the money. As Will starts to warm up to her, Lou hears (in yet another of her eavesdropping accidents) that Will intends to commit assisted suicide in Dignitas, a Swiss clinic. What’s worse is that Camilla agreed to it.

Torn between leaving the Traynors and helping Will choose to live, Lou decided that she will do anything to make him see how beautiful life is, despite the decision’s potential destructive effect on her own.

Me Before You is a fresh take on romantic fiction. It has just the right combination of wit, comedy and tear-jerking imagery and dialogues. Jojo Moyes also knows the value of comic relief so well. Her ability to insert sentences (in really unexpected places, if I may add) that can induce loud laughter, is admirable.

Her characters are very engaging and relatable. When Nicholas Sparks (judging from the films) and John Green’s (based on the book) characters can be too philosophical for their own good, Moyes’ are so human you’ll think you’re reading the life story of someone who know, or even your own. 

As a reader, I also don’t think that the author romanticized quadriplegia or the controversy of assisted suicide. The impressions of every character towards one another and their situations as well as their internal conflict, are natural.

Some romance readers may have been too used to a certain ending that the novel’s conclusion may come as a surprise. But really, when characters have been painted so vividly well, I believe their fates have already and obviously been sealed since that wedding dance. 

But what’s surprising really, is the faith I held that somehow, I can will the pages to show me a different ending.

Me Before You explored common conflicts -- social class, religious, and philosophical differences. The plot traverses the path of The Bucket List, and The Fault in Our Stars bumping into similar conflicts. In the end though, none of these conflicts matters. There will always be a situation so complicated that even love can’t be enough to fix it. 

It could have been easy to have Patty Smyth as an earworm for this novel. But no, I’d take Sheeran any day.  It sounds more hopeful, and painful in a beautiful way.

Speaking of hope and beautiful pain, Me Before You has a sequel.

Currently reading:

After You by Jojo Moyes

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Me Before You

After You

The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey

(In which it shouldn’t really be a surprise.)

***

I have always had a love-hate relationship with series. Yes, it gives my reading life purpose and direction. But, it’s also been a usual source of disappointment. Also, I’ve always thought that the first book is better -- or at least most of the time -- just as the original novel is better than the film adaptation.

The sequel to The 5th Wave is no exception.

Picking up from the time Cassie and Ben escaped Wright-Patterson military base (with massive help from Evan), the novel allows the readers glimpse to the life of the teens from Squad 53 prior to the Arrival, and the stories were of the same soul -- death and despair -- only with different faces. Each one of them struggles to maintain sanity in an obviously hopeless world. They are being hunted by two alien squads as per Vosch’s orders, and they can’t leave their hideout because Cassie’s hopes of Evan returning are still up. Of course, Cassie’s lovesickness and apparent blindness to a very major issue created a rift between her and Ringer. 

Just when I thought the story would just exploit Cassie and Evan’s teenage hormones, Yancey showed he has a different idea, though I am not very certain if I liked it.

I’m not good with math. But I guess almost half of the novel was focused on a character I knew was supposed to be big, but didn’t believe deserved that much exposure. It was almost like how some readers of Game of Thrones (that I know) slightly complained that Daenerys Targaryen’ exhausting storyline could have been used for other characters. Only I don’t have issues with Daenerys.

Anyway, this character’s capture led to the epiphany I already thought was lurking in the corner as it’s actually a staple in most dystopic/apocalyptic YA novels that I’ve read (some of which I regretted). But honestly, I didn’t want it to happen. Maybe I was thinking of a different epiphany. But then again, it still makes sense. It started as a huge possibility that translated to a horrible truth, which is actually not very surprising.

The Infinite Sea oddly reminds me of The Maze Runner Trilogy by James Dashner and The Pure Trilogy by Julianna Baggott. If I am to expect an ending, though, I’d choose Dashner’s. But expectations are very expensive now. Afterall, Rick Yancey might have something else in mind. 

Currently reading:

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

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The Infinite Sea

Me Before You

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

(In which humanity ain't got no Jedi knights.)

***

I did it again.

Saw a cool trailer.

And another cool trailer.

Watched the movie. And then read the original novel.

In the beginning, I didn't really watch the movie because of the plot since I am not that fond of alien-related movies. In fact, I have just watched Star Wars episode 1 to 6 in December -- just in time before the seventh episode came out, because, FOMO maybe? But what really got me to watch The 5th Wave is -- wait for it -- Nick Robinson. 

Maybe another reason why I read the novel was FOMO, or Nick Robinson -- or maybe both.

The premise of the novel wasn't really something extraordinary. In fact, it's somehow been a formula: aliens attack Earth, Earthlings defend it (or try to), a war ensues, and more often than not, the Earthlings win. Put in some romance and a lot of gory death, and you've got just another alien movie.

Unless this one's not just another alien movie.

In most fiction that involves an apocalypse by way of alien invasion, the evil guys often resort to quick annihilation. Imagine Darth Vader in the Death Star (and don't forget the Imperial March!). But the way the alien invaders in the 5th Wave chose to "rid Earth of humans" is much crueler. they chose to do it in steps or waves.

During the First Wave, they shut off the grid. In the Second Wave, they created natural disasters. Then, they made the avian flu virus evolve in the Third Wave. By the Fourth Wave, the "lucky" survivors will be hunted down by mercenaries. Those who still survive will be taken care of by the Fifth Wave.

After these waves, 7 billion people on Earth have been wiped out. And the "lucky" ones left were just corpses waiting to happen.

These lucky people were composed mostly of teenagers and children, each with their own horrible stories of loss to tell. Sixteen-year-old Cassie witnessed the death of her parents, and watched helplessly as her brother was taken by the military to safety. Desperate to keep a promise to her brother, she struggled to stay alive. But not without the help of the mysterious Evan Walker. Her thoughts were often filled by memories before the arrival of the aliens -- or Others. At times, she thought of Ben Parish, the hot guy who never know she exists.  When all of their paths cross, they finally have an idea of what humanity is really up against.

Reading the first chapter of The 5th Wave was like feeling your heartbeat -- simple sentence after simple sentence. Not that it's a bad thing. In fact, it makes one understand the cruciality of the situation. I mean, who has time to process compound-complex sentences when you're barely surviving? 

There were moments, of course, when I do a double-take on Cassie's (and mostly every teenage character's) personality as I try to grapple with the idea that sixteen-year-olds like her can be that tough. Or maybe I was just measuring the scenarios using my sixteen-year-old self, which, honestly, isn't a very good yardstick. But still, I often have difficulty grasping the fact that humanity's future lies on the hands of juveniles battling extraterrestrial (or paranormal, in other cases) villains. But I know this is YA, so I'll chill.

The love story part wasn't boring, actually. Nor is it something that makes me want to curl into a ball and purr like a cat. The conversations helped a lot in building Cassie and Evan's characters, though. But, at some point I was afraid that Evan Walker is channeling his inner Edward Cullen, but then again, don't most heroes do? Cassie's no Bella, though. And that's a very good thing. The girl's kickass!

The reality factor of the story comes in whenever a character is faced with human internal crises that will make Erik Erikson proud: identity confusion, trust vs. mistrust, intimacy vs. isolation -- you get the idea. These parts are my favorites, and usually the ones that kept me awake in the middle of the night.

The novel made me, once again, think of what matters in life and how much I'm willing to sacrifice in order to live and save someone's life. It made me learn the value of making choices and keeping promises. Also, it gives lessons on how to keep one's self alive in case of an apocalypse. That may come in handy. That is, if ever I get past Wave 3.

Currently reading:

The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey

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Nick Robinson

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey

One More Chance by Juan Miguel Sevilla

In which I try not to read in two different mindsets.

***

I am more accustomed to reading books that have been used as bases for movies. I remember worrying whether the existence of a film version is not good enough reason to read a book. But, looking at it now, the film could be a marketing strategy for the book, since books are always in stores, unlike movies, which don’t always stay in cinemas.

I recently had an experience that is the opposite of a novel-turned-movie phenomenon. Don’t get me wrong, I know that making novel versions of films isn’t a new concept. However, reading a book after watching the original film isn’t really something exciting for me. 

But one email is bound to change everything.

I was invited by Arlyn Rosales from ABS CBN Publishing to be part of a book discussion for the novel version of One More Chance, the hit 2007 romance starring Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd Cruz. I immediately said “yes.”

However, due to conflict in the schedule, the book discussion was cancelled. Instead, I received a package containing these beautiful things. 

Behold.

And with that, my initiation to reading novel versions of films began.

One More Chance (the novel) was written by Juan Miguel Sevilla, who was known for his screenplays for Star Cinema hits such as Miss You Like Crazy, My Amnesia Girl, and Unofficially Yours.

The novel opens with a prologue dedicated to memory, which honestly reminds me of Michelle Richmond’s The Year of Fog. Sevilla patiently describes Popoy’s recollection of how inconsistent memory could be, and how memorable falling in love for the first time is.

With his strong wordplay, Sevilla crafts expressions that both reflect the film while giving the novel a distinct personality -- expressions that will surely tug at the heartstrings of hopeless romantics. 

The plot unfolds like the movie itself, with some expected changes. And these are good changes that allowed the novel to offer a new, fresh perspective on the narrative.

But just like any novel and film that existed to complement each other, one inevitably stands out. And this time, it’s the movie. 

Sevilla wrote for the fans of the film, not for readers who haven’t watched it yet but still wanted to read a romantic novel. While the movie is vivid in all dimensions (let’s not even get started on how good Bea and john Lloyd portrayed their characters, the hugot lines that never got old, and the soundtrack, my goodness!), the novel seemed to be too caught up in the excitement to tell its own story. The film showed the viewers the metamorphosis of Popoy and Basha from lovers to strangers and back, making the viewers part of the journey. The novel reports that metamorphosis from the point of view of an editorial omniscient narrator.

Reading the novel is a very emotional roller coaster ride, and it’s not entirely because of prior knowledge. It always feels good to be allowed inside the character’s head and see his or her internal struggles. But sometimes, ignorance is truly bliss. Being given too much removes the challenge of understanding the characters and the complex human experience that they embody.

Several pages before the novel ends, and probably just when I thought I know exactly how the writer will choose to end the story, a surprise awaits. And it’s an emotional roller coaster ride once again.

***

Speaking of emotional hopeless romantic stuff, do not miss A Second Chance, the sequel to One More Chance on November 25 in cinemas.


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One More Chance (the novel)

Pure by Julianna Baggott

(In which being a night owl isn't a very good idea sometimes.)

***

Dystopian YA fiction is so hot right now that its varieties can rival a detailed color chart. I do not know where that analogy came from. Or maybe I should blame the adult coloring book craze. But that's for another blog post.

When I read the synopsis for Julianna Baggott's Pure (the first book of the trilogy), I was filled with intrigue. There was a detonation that almost wiped humanity away. The survivors now lived a wretched life in a dead earth covered with gray ash. These survivors, however, can barely be called humans. Because of the detonation, their body got fused with the objects, people or animals near them, making them a horrifying living mosaic. Not everyone is wretched, though. A select few was saved and they lived inside a protected fortress known as the Dome. This is the world that Pressia Belze grew up in. 

Pressia dreads the day she turns sixteen because people at this age are gotten by OSR, a military organization. No one knows why. She also dreads leaving her sick grandfather behind. But when they came for her, she ran and met Bradwell, a rebel leader. Pressia and Bradwell are fused, just like everyone else. Pressia has a scar on her face and doll's head instead of a hand. Bradwell, on the other hand, has three living birds on his back. (Reading this late at night surely isn't that charming.)

With Bradwell's help, Pressia learns about the world before the detonations. Bradwell also expresses his hatred toward the people from the Dome and his plan to take them down.

Inside the Dome, a confused teenager named Partridge (son of Ellery Willux, the Dome's leader), wanted to know the truth behind his mother's death and miraculously escapes the tight-security facility.

He meets Pressia and the wretched and the deadly consequences of his escape unfurls.

Pure is such a heavy first book. Readers have to just accept the fact that a) the world is dead and basically everyone in it, b) but there are people who are still clean and fuse-free because, why not? and c) people in the outside world was somehow still able to survive. 

Add to the mix the confusing nanotechnology, a bunch of more horrendously fused people, a pair of complicated love story and you're in for a maze trip.

But accepting these simply doesn't erase the gnawing feeling of unease that there surely is more than the façade. And then you worry if a trilogy can answer all of your questions. But maybe it's just me and my impatience.

Questioning the existence and purpose of the characters is, of course, a major mover of this novel. It was just surprising, however, that the narrative flow of Pure confuses me when it has the same one as Game of Thrones.

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Pure by Julianna Baggott

The School for Good and Evil: The Last Ever After

(In which the road to Ever After is always a difficult battle.)

***

Reading this book late at night gave me pimples. And all I can give it back is a blog post.

I can no longer clearly recall the details from the first two books of this series. If you need some refresher, click here for The School for Good and Evil book review.

Or maybe just watch this.

For The School for Good and Evil: A World Without Princes book review, click here.

And watch this, too.

If there is something about the first two books that strongly left me (and I say this with no remorse whatsoever) it's that I hate Sophie with a passion. And for good reason. She was a user and an abusive "bestfriend" to Agatha. Why and how Agatha fails to realize that Sophie is worse than a frenemy is beyond me (even after finishing the series). Or maybe I'm the close-minded one.

So it is no surprise how the first several chapters of this book began: Sophie is back on finding an ending befitting a princess for herself. And (insert adjective here) Agatha is always right there to clean up the mess.

When the School Master (whom everyone thought was Good, only to be revealed as Evil) took Sophie to his fortress after he almost killed Tedros, Sophie was left with a decision to either take the ring he offers her as a sign of their true, undying love, or let the sun die and the world along with it.

So she took the ring.

Only the ring makes the School Master (whose real name is Rafal) immortal as long as Sophie is wearing it. Sophie (is once again) deceived in her relentless pursuit of being a queen of a handsome boy from whatever kingdom.

And Agatha and Tedros' mission is, of course, to convince Sophie to destroy the ring herself (since no one else can) using the Excalibur and save the world.

And that was easier said than done. Unfortunately, time is running out. Evil also wanted their own happy ending. Villains are killing their Good nemeses.

The last book of Soman Chainani's series seems like something straight out of a Tolkien novel with some Filipino soap opera plot staples. But the backstories of famous fairy tales can definitely give Hollywood fairy tale reboots a run for their money – which is good since it's going to be turned into a movie soon.

Despite its childish façade, The Last Ever After insisted on the point that experience kept on emphasizing: that the obsessive pursuit of happiness is a trap sure to end in tragedy. True. Some parts of the story kept on transporting readers from suspending-disbelief to utter-disbelief zones ... and back. But it's a huge solace to know that love wins every time.

And just like the first two posts for this series, here's the wickedly transfixing book trailer.

Currently reading:

Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland

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The School for Good and Evil: The Last Ever After

Clara and Mr. Tiffany

Bridesmaids by Jane Costello

It's been a while. A lot has taken place, so reading and blogging have been pushed aside for so long I can no longer remember. But they're both back.

And since the hiatus seems to make me unprepared for reading all of a sudden, I restarted with a light read.

Enter: Bridesmaids by Jane Costello.

It opens up with the 27-year-old Evie, who was assigned as the bridesmaid for her bestfriend Grace' wedding. Her main task is to make the bride ready to walk down the aisle. 

That wasn't an easy task. 

When Grace finally got ready minutes before the ceremony, Evie then decided to slip in some breast enhancers she calls "chicken fillets". She looks as gorgeous as she can be. Only the chicken fillets popped out. And the ridiculously handsome Jack saw it.

So apparently her love story with Jack ended before it even started. And to make matters worse, Jack is dating her self-proclaimed Angelina Jolie look-alike friend, Valentina.

But just when she thought all hope is lost, Chance had its own way to play with all of them.

A light and easy read, Bridesmaids is a big beautiful promise of a lot of laugh-out-loud moments. Its humorous take on life's hardest situations makes it as realistic as any reader could hope it could be. Three quarters to the novel and you'll feel tricked, though. The humor can be so successful in leading you away from a huge elephant in the room. But worry not. Jane's got you covered. At the end of the story you'll realize that happily ever after, as well as fashion tastes, is very relative.

Currently reading:

Pure by Julianna Baggott

Photo sources:

Bridesmaids by Jane Costello

Pure by Julianna Baggott

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

(In which it is frustrating.)

***

One way to know if a book is good is when one sees several blurbs in the first pages. If there were so many of them, then the reader is in luck. This blurb test is, of course, not a standard, but it's a start. And when I read the blurbs for Jay Asher's "Thirteen Reasons Why", I knew I was in luck.

Thirteen Reasons Why narrates the heartbreaking journey of Clay Jenkins around town as he listens to a set of thirteen cassette tapes (cassette tapes!) he received in the mail a few days back. After listening for the first several seconds, he knew right away that it was from Hannah Baker, his classmate who committed suicide. What’s chilling is the fact that twelve other people have received or have to receive the tapes and that they all are the reasons for Hannah’s death. Along with the tapes is a map where important places for Hannah are marked. These marked places are unforgettable to her, like the people who contribute to Hannah’s decision to take her own life.

I read the book thinking it was another take on the horror film “The Ring” and that there might be a curse on the cassette tapes since the tapes needed to be passed along to the next person on the list, otherwise, something terrible will happen. But, no. There was no avenging ghost. No curses. Or maybe a little. The curse is set on the conscience of those who listened. 

It was a quick read. And it was a haunting read. It’s the kind of haunting that does not scare you. At least Hannah didn’t sound eerie in the tapes. But it haunts you in the sense that it will let you – force you – to look back at all the years you’ve lived. It will force you to remember details about your interactions with others: your family, your teachers, your classmates, your friends, your enemies, even strangers. It will force you to recall kind deeds, kind words, rude deeds and rude words. It will force you to think back what evil you may have caused to the life of someone as you try to peacefully navigate your daily life. You will remember deaths. And you will remember the last time you talk to people before they died and wonder how you affected their lives.

It made me uneasy. But it didn’t stop me from reading. It made me sad. But, surprisingly, it didn’t make me cry.

I finished the book in 5 hours. And then I wondered at the solace it gave me. I should have wept and felt bad that a promising life was lost due to the frailty of today's youth's self-esteem and their constant need for social acceptance. I should have mourned for a seemingly innocent and pure love that never took place. If not for the dead girl, I should have been full of regret for the poor boy she left behind.

I felt sad for Hannah. But her decision is, apart from the terrible making of the terribly ill-advised children in her school, is a product of a series of terrible decisions. She needed help. But just like so unfortunate people. She tried to get help from the wrong people when all the while the only person who could save her has always been there and she sent him away. She is a victim, yes. But that doesn’t justify anything.

Instead of mourning for her death, I chose to celebrate life for those who took the tougher road and managed to stay alive despite the struggle to fit in this cruel world. I believe Hannah’s story is about these truly strong people as it is about her.

Currently reading:

The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr

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Thirteen Reasons Why

The Lost Painting

The School for Good and Evil: A World Without Princes by Soman Chainani

(In which fairy tale princesses are introduced to an extreme feminism awakening.)

***

I'll try my best not to include spoilers but I might fail. If you haven't read the first book yet, remember you've been warned.

When Sophie and Agatha escaped their fairy tale and returned to Gavaldon, they became instant celebrities. Autographs here, photo shoots there, seemingly endless interviews and book signings. Sophie just loves it and is convinced she could live a peaceful life in that unbearably boring town as long as she has Agatha. She was even willing to accept that her father is going to remarry a woman that is a total opposite of her goddess-like mother. As long as Agatha's there. 

But on the day of the wedding, Agatha wished for something that Sophie couldn't provide. And then the ghost of their fairy tale life came haunting them, along with knives and arrows and invisible assassins that are after Sophie for a huge bounty for her head. The two girls are left with no choice but to return to the dreaded school and try to set things right again.

Only the school isn't how they left it before.

Princes were banished. Fairy tales no longer end with a happily-ever-after-inspired themes and worse, female protagonists got rid of their princes and kings in most horrible ways possible, reign on their own and became celebrated heroes of women empowerment.

The schools were no longer divided into good and evil but into genders. Lessons were no longer taught on how to be better and worse versions of their characters but how to live without the other gender and, how to dispose them.

Sophie and Agatha saw their old schoolmates in one school and was flabbergasted to see a utmost lack of fashion and grooming sense practiced. No one is required to wear makeup, dresses, long hair and be uptight.

Agatha  couldn't imagine a functional world where the genders are at war with each other, especially when the other school is led by Tedros, who is after Sophie for ruining his fairytale ending with Agatha. Oh, the ego. 

But Sophie loved the lack of moral distinction. She wanted to stay. But Agatha, as always, wanted to do what's right for everyone. 

When they realized that they were brought back to school because of Agatha's wish, they discovered that in order to bring peace to the fairytale world, they need to find the Storian and end their story either with the "proper" one or with the two of them peacefully back in Gavaldon.

But things are more complicated than that, of course. Especially with the presence of new Dean.

In the second book of The School for Good and Evil, Soman Chainani again uses his interesting characters (although they are eyeroll-inducing at most times) as well as his simple narration embellished with twists that you'll find hard to guess until the last moment. This book was a quick read, making one wish that the last installment was already available. 

Waiting is such a bitter pill to swallow.

I wonder, though,  if the gender-bending act found in book one and two (which, I just have to say, was leveled up in book two) will still be found in book three. 

Well, since it was a staple in fairy tales and in this book, I wouldn't be surprised if it was.

Also, may I share with you it's very cinematic book trailer? You're welcome!

Currently reading:

Endymion Spring by Matthew Skelton

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A World Without Princes

Endymion Spring