Books from the Blogs: Quaking

Another blog-recommended winner from my past couple weeks’ reading is Quaking, a contemporary YA novel by Kathryn Erskine.

Fourteen-year-old Matt—prickly and isolated, sensitive and smart—is facing the latest in a long line of foster homes. She’s not expecting life with Quakers Sam and Jessica, and their autistic foster son Rory, to be any more stable than what’s come before. She just wants to get through the next two years of high school and move to Canada.

Of course, life isn’t that simple. At school, Matt finds herself singled out by her jingoist World Civ teacher, Mr. Morehead (Warhead) when, in her homework, she quietly voices her criticism of the United States’ Middle East policy. A bully she dubs the Rat has also singled her out for no apparent reason. Meanwhile, Quakers and other peace activists in the community are being threatened by “patriotic” hoodlums.

The real story, though, is Matt’s journey toward inner peace. You might expect someone with such an acerbic wit and strong opinions to be outspoken and fearless. Wrong—dead wrong. Instead, Matt’s response to the vandalism and bullying is to hide. The reason why is revealed slowly over the course of the story, as Matt begins to learn that flight is not the only alternative to fighting.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is Matt’s distinctive and compelling voice. Another is the realistic relationships between Matt and her foster family. No overnight miracles here—Matt is reluctant to let anyone get close, and though Sam seems to have infinite patience for her frequently rude behavior, Jessica does not. Most touching, however, is the slow evolution of Matt’s relationship with the developmentally delayed foster brother.

A couple of quibbles. In spite of a couple suggestions of hidden pain, the book’s villains, Mr. Warhead and the Rat, are just that: villains, unsympathetic, whose targeting of Matt seems sudden and arbitrary. Also, the ending seems rushed. After such a high-energy climax, I would have preferred more of a denouement than the two-page resolution readers get.

Even so, the positives far outweigh the negatives, making for a highly enjoyable read. And certainly the book provides plenty of timely fodder for discussion as the U.S. continues its controversial role in Iraq and the Middle East. It would be interesting to compare and contrast reluctant activist Matt with the socially conscious and outspoken Cassie of Brian Mandabach's Or Not. Strongly recommended for readers junior high and up.

Bloggers who led me to the book: Boys Blogging Books (Review and interview)