The Piper's Son

This is it, folks. The year long experiment is up, and this is the end of the line. And I think this is a good way to say good-bye to the daily blogging gig.

The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Yet another Marchetta novel that somehow pulled me in just when I was thinking of giving it up for good. I don't know what it is about her stories or her writing, but I'm never convinced that I want to go down whatever road she's going to take me on until I'm well into the story.

Here's the thing. This is drama-rama folks. Plain and simple, and that is what Marchetta seems to do best. But she does it in a way that isn't overbearing, for the most part, and you feel like you connect to these characters, despite the drama...or maybe because of it. I'm not sure if I'm hooked because of the soap opera or if I'm hooked because I actually really like these people, but in the end, I suppose it doesn't matter a whole lot, anyway, because I kept reading until the end. And then at the end, she suddenly had me convinced that I wanted to read it all along.

There isn't a lot of plot to this story. It's more about people and every day life than it is about something. Of course, there are lots of little things going on, little conflicts. Now some might argue with me here and say that the conflicts are much more than that. They are much more than just little, that is; however, they aren't handled like serious climatic moments, and I don't know if that makes any sense whatsoever, but it's sort of like watching the way real life unfolds.

And yes, I did say it was sort of soap opera-esque. But that's more because there are lots and lots of feelings being expressed internally (and occasionally externally, too). But no one here is slapping faces and throwing martinis and screaming. It's dramatic because the internal dialogue makes it so. Tom and his Aunt Georgie are the central figures, and so mostly we see the story through their perspective. Tom's trying to reconcile with his old mates and his father, and Georgie is trying to decide if she wants to reunite with her old boyfriend and both of them are coming to terms with the deaths of family members. And that's just the tip of the iceberg, so you can imagine what I mean by drama.

But there is only one actual physical fight and most of the time, you could imagine similar problems in your own life. And you can probably see yourself having similar thoughts and feelings about how best to handle them. So yes there are lots of problems, and there is a lot of pondering. And you probably think now that the book sounds dull, but I assure that it isn't, especially if you like something that speaks to character. I always do. And Marchetta, if she does anything at all well (and you know I think she does), knows character.

P.S. But I guess all of this is just one really long winded way of saying that it's drama without the sappiness.

P.S.S. Oh...and I called this both young adult and adult fiction. It's certainly for the more mature reader.

P.S.S.S. And if you are going to read this, read Saving Francesca first. This isn't a sequel, necessarily, but it is a companion book, and it will make much more sense if read in order. You are welcome.


View all my reviews