and re-imagined fairy tales for adults (or YA), but this writer doesn't work for me. Hopefully, YMMV, because most others *love* this writer and this book.
Here's a snippet from my review I wrote for myself seven years ago when I read this book: "This [novel] started as a riff on _The Giver_: an utopian society where everyone has a job, a knowledge, but it quickly, and uselessly to my mind, got sidetracked into being about werewolves."
Here's a snippet from my review I wrote for myself seven years ago when I read this book: "This [novel] started as a riff on _The Giver_: an utopian society where everyone has a job, a knowledge, but it quickly, and uselessly to my mind, got sidetracked into being about werewolves."
In this world, sorcerers enchanted one section of the world so that the people there could only have true knowledge of one subject. For anything else, you'd have to be be doubtful of it and rely on someone else's word.
For instance, you could look at someone's hair. You would have to consult with someone who knows colors to find out it was blond, consult with someone who knows beauty to find out if it's pretty, and consult with a third person to find out it's called hair. You could forget those things at any time, then you'd have to track down one of those 3 people or someone who had talked to them as well so that you could be reminded.
The main character, Arry, is a 14 year old girl who is the only one in town who knows pain. Thus, if you wanted to know if you had a headache or not, or, if you wanted to know if sticking your hand in a fire and letting it burn would hurt, you'd have to consult with her. Unless you asked her, you'd be unaware of your pain. One of the side plots is that Arry is trying to figure out how her sister can be in pain when she's not physically injured. She's sure it has something to do with their parents recently dying, but since she's the only one in town who knows pain, she has no one to ask about grief, which is a form of mental pain.
I didn't care for this book at all, but I can see where it gets its appeal and reputation from.
For instance, you could look at someone's hair. You would have to consult with someone who knows colors to find out it was blond, consult with someone who knows beauty to find out if it's pretty, and consult with a third person to find out it's called hair. You could forget those things at any time, then you'd have to track down one of those 3 people or someone who had talked to them as well so that you could be reminded.
The main character, Arry, is a 14 year old girl who is the only one in town who knows pain. Thus, if you wanted to know if you had a headache or not, or, if you wanted to know if sticking your hand in a fire and letting it burn would hurt, you'd have to consult with her. Unless you asked her, you'd be unaware of your pain. One of the side plots is that Arry is trying to figure out how her sister can be in pain when she's not physically injured. She's sure it has something to do with their parents recently dying, but since she's the only one in town who knows pain, she has no one to ask about grief, which is a form of mental pain.
I didn't care for this book at all, but I can see where it gets its appeal and reputation from.
