Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman June 18, 2009
Posted by theBookGirl in review.Tags: bestseller, Blurb, book, Callum McGregor, characters, Forbidden Love, Malorie Blackman, Noughts and Crosses, Novel, Plot, Racism, recommendation, review, Romance, Sephy Hadley, theBookGirl, Young Adult
trackback
Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman
Noughts and Crosses is a truly excellent book which treads the delicate path of racist attitudes weaving between a passionate and strong romance.
“I had to make a choice. I had to decide what kind of friend Callum was going to be to me. But what surprised and upset me was that I even had to think about it…
Callum is a nought – a second-class citizen in a world run by the ruling Crosses. He is also one of the first nought youngsters to be given the chance of a decent education by studying at a school for Crosses…
Sephy is a Cross, daughter of one of the most powerful men in the country – a man doing his best to keep power in the hands of the Crosses. Friends with Callum since early childhood, hoping for something more to develop, she is looking forward to Callum’s arrival at her school…
But in their world, noughts and Crosses simply don’t mix. And as hostility turns to violence, can Callum and Sephy possibly find a way to be together? They are determined to try. And then a bomb explodes…”
This novel deals with many of the delicate issues in modern society, very carefully intertwining them with a romance story which will affect for days, weeks, months, years to come.
Racism is a main feature of this novel and the separation between the black people and the white people is heart wrenching as Sephy and Callum struggle to remain true to who they are and what they believe.
Terrorism also features, as it always does when extreme prejudice has occurred, and this provides a very real edge to the story which can be felt second hand as realistic in today’s society.
The story between Sephy and Callum is one, once again, of forbidden love. Where in Mansfield Park it’s the love of a cousin, or in Twilight of an immortal, here it is a divide of classes which causes the problem.
This story cuts deep into the heart as it unfolds, with many twists and emotional tales, the characters we very quickly feel close to and a part of, ruthlessly carry on the story, uncaring of our pleas to make different choices or for the cruel world to change in a sentence.
This story will most definitely take you on a journey you will not forget in a hurry, and even if you have a heart of stone, this story will hurt you and mend you, changing you throughout its course as we catch a glimpse of Sephy and Callum’s life.
This novel is definitely worth a read, if you haven’t picked it up already. All you will need to undertake the journey is a box of tissues and the beautifully crafted words of Malorie Blackman.
KJ
The BookGirl
Comments»
No comments yet — be the first.