More on Criss Cross

[lady_schrapnell]

I remembered after posting the little I managed to say about Criss Cross (Lynne Rae Perkins) and what I loved about it, that I'd completely forgotten to mention the Midsummer Night's Dream theme in it (though perhaps theme is too strong a word). I don't think I even saw the epigraph when I read the book, but noticed it when I was checking publisher (as I didn't want to grumble about the fact it had never been published This Side only to find it was). It's 'What thou seest when thou dost wake, Do it for thy true-love take...'

I really want to reread this book anyway, as I read it in interrupted doses and when pretty exhausted and stressed, but I've caught some of the AMND tracings and was retrospectively extremely impressed by how this was worked in. It's not at all a simple one-to-one pairing of any character, but the shifting seeing as these kids start to wake up to romantic possibilities in old and new friends. There's even a little touch of magic, as for example, when a necklace which has moved around the town through various different characters' hands fails to achieve anything when finally reunited with its owner. I loved this part. (I'll take out the characters' names, as it's fairly near the end. Not that there's any kind of spoiler really, but still.)

**********(in lieu of the indenting)

X did look at Y, and he saw her, really saw her for a moment. Y looked at X and she saw him, really saw him, for a moment. If it had been the same moment, something might have happened. But their moments were separated by about a second. Maybe only half a second. Their paths crossed, but they missed each other.

The hardworking necklace couldn't believe it. It let out an inaudible, exasperated gasp.

************

The more I think about what is rather broad comedy in the play when it's about adults under enchantment, and how it becomes a perfect description of kids just coming into adolescence, the more I like this. I even wrote down who likes whom and who whom likes in return and the criss-crossing patterns of this through the book for myself! And okay, perhaps this isn't going to be as good an image of a 14-year-old now, raised on a heavy diet of TV soaps and reality shows, but neither is it confined to adolescence in biological years. I've seen people even older than I am who are 'waking' and 'seeing' and 'loving' people in dizzyingly rapid succession.

It occurred to me early this morning that there's even a character who plays the role of the 'rude mechanical'. And it's glorious because he's anything BUT 'rude' or crude or stupid. This is Lenny, for those who've read the book, and I already thought he was yet another wonderful character. His 'metamorphosis from bookworm to gearhead' is seen to be likely to separate him from his friends - though it's not clear 'just how far apart the paths would eventually veer'. And 'maybe it was some kind of tragedy that no one spotted who Lenny could be. Or maybe it wasn't. Lenny didn't need someone to tell him who he was.' How amazing to get so much of character, and so much awareness of social pressures and their effects (and sometimes the limits of their effects) in such a short and simple bit of writing. Wow.

(Yes, I did choose 'How we Quit the Forest' from my playlist for the title!)

Comments

[gair.livejournal.com]

That sounds awesome! I'll try and track it down.

[lady-schrapnell.livejournal.com]

I know it's possible to get it in Australia as emmaco read it ages ago, further increasing my impatience to get hold of it! I'd love to see what you think if/when you do try it. (I'll gladly loan it when you're back in Bristol if you haven't before then.)

[gair.livejournal.com]

I'm overspending on books at the moment - just bought a beautiful Australian edition of The Pinhoe Egg, which we already have (in UK edn) in Bristol, and am coveting the new (well, last year) Shaun Tan picture book The Arrival (gah! was going to link to his website (http://www.shauntan.net), but it's currently down due to exceeding its bandwidth, so I have no idea whether it's any good or not) - so I may well buy this one here too, on the somewhat spurious basis that 'I'm going to have to send a box of books back anyway, one more won't make any difference'.

[gair.livejournal.com]

I mean, I have no idea whether the website is any good or not. I saw the book in a shop and it looks awesome, plus Shaun Tan is a genius, so I have a pretty good idea about the quality of the book.

[lady-schrapnell.livejournal.com]

I approve of that basis heartily, but I somewhat vaguely meant that I thought it was available in public libraries there.

[emmaco.livejournal.com]

I came back to read your review of Keturah, having now read it (post to go up soon, summary is I liked it but in a light sort of way) and realised I'd never commented here. I didn't notice the Midsummer Night themes at all! Even though the bit about them missing each other was one of my favourite parts. But I am very impressed with how you've drawn it all out!

[lady-schrapnell.livejournal.com]

Oh glad it all makes sense to you! As I said, I either didn't notice the epigraph at all while reading or barely noticed it, so when I went to LJ the book and noticed it I went 'Hunh? Oh!' and started thinking about it. I'll go read your Keturah post now!