BOOK REVIEW: The Grace Year by Kim Liggett
Mean Girls meets Lord of the Flies...
It’s been a while since I read a good dystopian novel, and this was one of my “12 books in 12 months recommended by 12 friends” books. I clearly had no choice but to eventually read it, and I’m glad I did. However, I am still in that post book haze where I’m not quite sure what my overall thoughts and feelings are about it. They are pretty mixed at the moment. We’ll see how they evolve over the course of putting them down in words.
A male dominated and controlled word.
Belief that women have magic that manifests when they change from child to woman - you know, basically when they turn 16.
A year of isolation during their 16th year of life to rid them of magic and make them worthy of their husbands - hence, the Grace Year.
A “Veiling Ceremony” the day before the isolation for those 16 year olds to be chosen by an unmarried man to be his wife upon returning from the Grace Year.
There are plenty of things that are so wrong about how this society functions, but that is why it is a dystopia. During the year, these girls must live together on an island in a fenced in 16th century feeling farm type compound. They must remain within the fence or the poachers who are circling them will kill them, slice their skin off and send it back to the community in little jars. Sounds like a fantastic time.
Going into this, I wasn’t necessarily completely sold on the plot, but I will say that I ended up liking it more than I thought I was going to, but it didn’t live up to the hype that I have heard surrounding the story. The plot was ultimately better than the characters, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
What I loved most was the Lord of the Flies vibes that you get once they are away from the influence of the men and their families. How would thirty 16 year old girls get along and treat each other in those circumstances with no one to mediate?
That’s the problem with letting the light in—after it’s been taken away from you, it feels even darker than it was before.
Yep, it went exactly as you thought it would. I appreciated the diversity of characters and how important each their roles were to the outcomes of the plot, but I never really connected with any of the girls. Since I already gave the Lord of Flies reference, I might as well keep it going. I have aligned some of the characters:
Ralph - Tierney (our main character whose point of view the story is told from)
Jack - Keirsten (you can’t help by hate her, but she is oh so perfect to hate)
Piggy - Gertrude (you can’t help but like her and feel sorry for her all at the same time)
Tierney is a pretty successful character. Her name and the symbolic connection with a different spelling, tyranny, shouldn’t be lost on anyone. She is rebellious, logical, resourceful. She’s a fighter. She’s also pretty lucky that her father has helped people who have been exiled to the “outskirts” or she would have been killed about 17 times. But, I liked her spunk even if she was so far above the all other girls in intellect and maturity, even before the Grace Year. She is the only one who questions things and wants something different.
The other girls are basically lemurs who don’t question their fate leading up to the Grace Year and would follow Kiersten off a cliff during the Grace Year if she told them to. She has the power because she is outspoken and aligns with what the other girls can connect with versus Tierney who tries to convince them that their perceived “truths” are completely false. Just shows how hard it can be to undo years and years of upbringing.
I thought the structuring of the book was effective for the mood that was being established. Instead of chapters the division of the plot came in seasons. As the year progressed through the four seasons, you were able to see how the girls’ descent into madness progressed with it. My favorite portion of the book was winter. I feel that was a major turning point for Tierney and where a lot of world building information is provided.
At its core this is a survival story, and like all survival stories, not everyone comes out alive on the other side. I thought that the months that Tierney was truly trying to survive were some of the best moments of the book. I actually liked the plotline with the poachers more than that of the girls. I loved Ryker and loved how he viewed his family. He was probably my favorite character, while Michael is one of my least favorite characters.
An overarching motif that is seen from the very beginning of the book all the way through the conclusion is the reference to flowers and colors. The small red flowers that Tierney sees throughout adventures play an important role in her self-discovery as well as learning her place in the community and her family. I loved the flowers, the the symbolic meaning of each of them. There is also the mysteriousness of her parents in general. There were many little aspects that are not fleshed out fully, but cause you to wonder and question moments, people, actions and comments. All these stylistic elements were very effective in foreshadowing some of eventual outcomes.
The only thing I didn’t see coming was the twist that came near the end of the Grace Year in regards to the skeleton. I really didn’t suspect that character, but I didn’t even feel that there was anything super mysterious leading into that scene. If you’ve read the book, you know what I’m talking about! :)
Your eyes are wide open, but you see nothing
While there were a lot of moments that made you really think, which is what a lot of dystopic books do, I was left with mixed feelings on the conclusion. I didn’t not like it, but I also didn’t really like it. Maybe, I’m just still trying to organize my thoughts. What I can say is that the author left me thinking and processing the story well after I finished it, and that is a win in my book.
Where does this land on my bookshelf?
I’m going to put it on my middle shelf. My decision really comes from the fact that I didn't’ love the book, but I also didn’t hate the book. I enjoyed it. It left me thinking and processing which I respect, but my feelings remain grounded in the middle of the spectrum. There is tremendous success in the use of symbolism and characterization (primarily connected to the downward spiral of the girls). There are clear reasons why no one speaks of the Grace Year…ever! It’s an interesting read, and one that I would probably recommend. It’s one of those books where I feel I need to process through it with someone else who has read it.
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