Book Review: No and Me by Delphine de Vigan

Name: No and Me

Author: Delphine de Vigan

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Star Rating: * *





I began with high hopes for this book, but it didn't really live up to my expectations.

Lou is a highly intelligent young teenager. She's two classes ahead at school, possesses a sky high IQ, and is clearly struggling in the wake of a terrible loss in her recent past. The passing of her baby sister Chloe, several years previous to the beginning of the book, left a gaping hole in her life, one that is finally filled when she meets the young homeless girl No. This story is about homelessness in a world where anything is possible, a family's diverse reactions to grief, and the pressures that a young girl must face while growing up.

My biggest problem with this read was that I didn't feel connected enough to the characters. This is a really important factor for me, and impacts how deeply I enjoy and engage with the story. I need to either passionately love (or passionately hate) at least some of the characters, in order to love the story. There were moments in the book that I really rooted for No, where I wanted her to break out of the tragic cycle of homelessness that she had fallen into, but these were rare in the entirety of the book. The relationships between the characters also didn't sit quite right with me. The friendships didn't seem real- even Lucas didn't seem to have much of a personality.

As this is the first translated novel that I've read, it was interesting to consider how it affected the flow of the story. No and Me did definitely feel different to read, especially as at times the language choice and sentence structures felt a bit repetitive. One thing that I did really enjoy was that this book didn't lose its distinctive 'Frenchness', despite being a translation. It was packed full of French language that represented the names of people, places and things that the characters encountered. I know that English language writers can, and do, write tales set all over the world, but this book felt genuinely French, which was pleasing.

Overall I was pretty disappointed with this book, and felt that it had a lot of unused potential. Homelessness is an incredibly prominent and often under addressed issue, but I just didn't feel engaged enough with the plot or, most importantly to me, the characters. It's a short read at only 258 pages in length, and I'd say to pick it up if you're feeling curious, but it is not a book that I would recommend. I've settled on awarding it only two stars.

Book Haul: January and February 2014

Yes, I may be living on a student's budget but it's clear that nothing can stop me from buying new books! Here are the titles that I purchased over January and February, and what I think of them so far. I don't need food anyway...

 
 Title: No and Me

 Author: Delphine de Vigan

 Publisher: Bloomsbury





 First Thoughts
Although I'm still waiting for this title to arrive, I'm really excited to start reading. The story follows Lou, a highly intelligent young teenager who meets No as a result of her school project about the homeless. No is also a teenager, but one who is currently living on the streets. Lou's family has been darkened by a terrible loss so I can imagine that No's eventual moving in will change everything for them. I don't believe that I've read any translated novels before, so the fact that this book was originally written in French really interests me. I'm wondering if there will be any unconventional phrases or expressions as a result of its translation, and this is something that I will be paying special attention to as I read. I've previously expressed my interest in Young Adult fiction so I have high hopes for this book and will be writing a review in the near future!
 


Title: Txtng The gr8 db8

Author: David Crystal

Publisher: Oxford University Press




  

First Thoughts

As a current student of English Language and Linguistics this book is right up my street. I actually purchased this title when Professor David Crystal gave a lecture to the students in the ELL society at my university, kindly signing my copy of Txtng, The gr8 db8. (I had a photo taken with him too, but shh!) Firstly, appreciate the title- a reflection of the subject matter that is discussed inside the cover. I'm currently halfway through and enjoying the book immensely. As a work of 'pop linguistics', it is easily accessible and, in my opinion, highly interesting. I particularly enjoy reading about the controversies that have been created through the introduction of texting and the use of 'text talk'. I really recommend this read to anyone with an interest in language, and how it is changing in modern society.You don't have to be studying linguistics in order to read it!




Title: The Rosie Project

Author: Graeme Simsion

Publisher: Penguin

Star Rating: * * * *


 

Review  
I made a good choice by picking up The Rosie Project a few weeks back, and here is the beginning of my review!

Introducing Don Tillman; a thirty nine year old geneticist whose scientific mind led to the formulation of The Wife Project, in order to help him find a compatible partner. To be fair it's pretty easy to become a candidate. All you have to do is complete the answers to fifty nine make or break questions in Don's carefully designed questionnaire. Answer them correctly, and you've found yourself a date- just make sure that you're not imaginary first! Rosie would definitely fail the test, of that Don's sure. She's completely incompatible....

Click here to read the full review