Pete chose a graphic novel for this month’s read, written by David Almond and illustrated by Dave McKean. Pete wasn’t aware that it was a children’s book when he chose it , but I don’t think it mattered. None of us had a bad word to say about this tale which is narrated by a young boy coming to terms with bereavement while coping with bullying. Seth thought that it held up well when being read by adults.
The device used by the author is novel within a novel. Blue Baker, the narrator, writes about a story that he wrote after his dad dies. The story is obviously about Blue experiencing grief – however our big debate was about the nature of the savage himself. Pete felt that the savage was fantasy – purely an expression of Blue’s grief – an interpretation that was shouted down by Paddy and Ann. Ann thought that this was a boring answer, while Paddy said he would not discuss such a prosaic interpretation (which was a bit of a lie as he participated quite enthusiastically in the discussion). Paddy was adamant that the savage was real, feeling that to think otherwise was to put a very adult interpretation on a children’s book – Seth agreed, pointing out that younger readers would believe in the savage. I think Nicky and Ciara agreed more with Pete – Nicky was sure that the savage did not exist apart from in the role of imaginary friend, and Ciara felt that the episode where Hopper was attacked and reacted with fear to Blue showed us that the savage was a projection of Blue’s feelings and actions. Paddy argued that myths and stories should be taken at face value and that we should not intepret the story as a metaphor for Blue dealing with the loss of his father. Dan wondered if Paddy was underestimating the power of loss, anger and grief.
Ann liked the fact that the family was drawn as quite stable and loving; despite the bereavement, the author wasn’t tempted to create dysfunctional relationship in order to create drama. She thought that the author had successfully avioded making the story a patromising lesson. I particularly liked the mum’s character – I thought she came across as brave and strong, and although we weren’t given an insight into her grief, I felt that it was clear that this was so she could protect and support her children.
The misspelling technique didn’t work for everyone – Nicky found it quite effective but Paddy and I didn’t agree. I didn’t think that the bad spelling was consistent enough to be convincing – I probably see too much of it in the day job! We didn’t talk much about the illustrations but I felt that they added a necessary dimension to the younger Blue’s writing.
A lovely book.
