As I flip through pages of action and adventure I here a somewhat fait voice. It travels up the stairs, floats into my room, circles the beanbag I’m sitting on, and leaves no trace in my mind. I’m oblivious to its existence. I read. Scanning down the page taking in all the information and clues towards the abstract plot. The voice is back. Louder this time. Screaming? It’s getting closer. I can feel it getting closer and closer to my bedroom door. The door opens with a bang knocking down the poster parallel to the hinges. My mom, standing in the threshold, is the one who owns the ‘faint’ voice. She is yelling that dinner is ready and that my whole family has been waiting for half and hour. I was so engaged with Allerga Goodman’s The Other Side of the Island I could not stop reading it. This segment of yesterday evening showcases how I am so obsessed with Goodman’s novel: The Other Side of the Island. The Other Side of the Island, by Allerga Goodman, is an amazing novel, has a very compelling plot, questions what we know of great young adult literature, and is recommended from me to anyone who would enjoy a quick and ‘up-beat’ read.
The Other Side of the Island is somewhat of a dystopian style science fiction novel about a young girl, Honor, living in a future time, after a flood and many world wars, when people have started enclosing areas of the Earth as a way of dealing with the ruined environment (the flood). This idea of a enclosed area is lead by a figure known to the public as ‘Earth Mother’ Honor and her family have always been slightly eccentric. Although they live on Island 365 in the Tranquil Sea, Honor can sometimes remember a time when they lived somewhere else, somewhere far away: somewhere where it snowed and the islands were not enclosed in a dome, but open to the sky.
Connecting to the summary a strong theme comes into place. To me the main theme of The Other Side of the Island is the idea of freedom and the idea to have the freedom to do what you want. Honor and her family are being kept in a enclosed area along with many other people who think they are safe in this enclosure though what they don’t have is freedom. Honor and her family were once free and now are under close watch by ‘The Earth Mother’. This idea of freedom is repeated through out the book and is a key part that that Goodman always comes back to. The theme keeps the plot interesting and makes readers (I know from experience) want to read more.

The writing style within The Other Side of the Island is quick, crisp, and allows anyone to read her fantastic work. Even though the writing style is very easy to read it has different ideas that can be interpreted by those of different ages. With this idea The Other Side of the Island is like a never finishing jigsaw puzzle. Goodman’s novel will be an easy to interpret read that you will finish in a day, if not less. I was hooked! The writing style within The Other Side of the Island is truly sublime.

Even though The Other Side of the Island is a great book any amazing thing has its flaws. Although the novel makes an immense effort at a range of motifs, many parts came across as implausible and heavy-handed. Borrowing (almost copping) heavily from other novels (substitute Earth Mother for Big Brother), The Other Side of the Island doesn’t really come close to the moral complexity or subtlety of its numerous predecessors, including Lois Lowry’s The Giver (another great read) or George Orwell’s 1984. See these reads just seem to be to much like The Other Side of the Island.

Furthermore, if you would like to dive into the pages of Goodman’s amazing writing you can go to the library and pick up one of her newest works, The Other Side of the Island. The Other Side of the Island, by Allerga Goodman, is an amazing novel, has a very compelling plot, questions what we know of great young adult literature, and is recommended from me to anyone who would enjoy a quick and ‘up-beat’ read. So the next time you’re playing video games, staring at screen, take a brake and try Allerga Goodman’s the Other Side of the Island. You’ll be engaged for hours!