Review: The List by Siobhan Vivian
Rating: I have no idea. No, seriously
An intense look at the rules of high school attraction -- and the price that's paid for them.
It happens every year. A list is posted, and one girl from each grade is chosen as the prettiest, and another is chosen as the ugliest. Nobody knows who makes the list. It almost doesn't matter. The damage is done the minute it goes up.
This is the story of eight girls, freshman to senior, "pretty" and "ugly." And it's also the story of how we see ourselves, and how other people see us, and the tangled connection of the two.
I am so conflicted about this book I honestly don’t know how
to rate it. Seriously, I can’t decide.
It was intensely readable, the subject matter
was fascinating if not extraordinarily painful, the concept was intriguing, most of
the characters were relatable, and I cared about them. In some ways, this is a
must-read for any teenage girl. If you’ve ever hated or loved or worried about
the way you look, this book will speak to you (so basically… if you’re human. And
particularly if you’re a female who has ever known other females).
This book
artfully lays out the high school caste system and the problems with its focus
on external beauty. How important it is not only to feel beautiful, but to be seen
as beautiful.
While the list is told in third person, the POV is split
between eight girls: the prettiest and the ugliest from all four grades. I
happen to like books with split POVs, but eight sure is a lot. Yet it happened
to be one of the aspects I liked the most.
Vivian pulls it off. Each girl feels different. Of course we
don’t get to spend too much time with any of them, and some of the characters I
would have loved to get to know better. Each could easily have carried her own
book. But none of the girls feel shallow. Each has a complicated life and
nuanced emotions. Particular standouts were Bridget, Candace, and Danielle,
though I also enjoyed Lauren and Sarah. Even Abby.
There wasn’t a plot, really. But that’s not the point of
this book. The point is to watch each of these girls, and their whole school,
really, react to the brutality of those harsh black and white labels. Ugly. Pretty. Blessings and burdens both. I was sucked into this book
right from the get go. It was very addicting.
I loved Vivian’s honesty in portraying these girls’
emotions. She mostly achieves the balancing act here and manages to show the
progression of each main character. My opinions about them changed too. The
interesting thing was, I found myself judging the characters just like they judged each other,
particularly seniors and ex-best friends Margo and Jennifer. I made assumptions about them that were proved
entirely wrong at the end.
Which brings me to my largest issue
with this book– the way it ended. As in,
the fact that it DIDN’T. I loved the
slow reveal of who made the list. It made a lot of sense and fit in with the
characters. It made me totally reevaluate the person who did it. But
then the book just ended.
I wanted to know more about what
happened next. Vivian set up eight different scenarios and I would have actually
liked some resolution from them. I blinked at the acknowledgments page for like
a minute, wondering if I’d accidentally skipped the last chapter.
Abby’s story is utterly unresolved.
There’s a huge question mark for Lauren’s future. I’m actually in anxiety not
knowing what happens to Bridget. I wonder why Vivian chose to leave off where
she did. I seriously cared about these characters so much that I wanted to
know.
Do I want or expect each story to end in a pretty red bow? No. Certainly not. It wouldn’t fit this painful
narrative. But as I have a thing about endings, I would have actually appreciated one.
In the end, the book is excellent in
the way it portrays the cruel, self-loathing world of teenagers. It feels
very realistic, less Gossip Girl and
more My So-Called Life. But it’s also
like My So-Called Life in that it
feels like it was cancelled after the first season. It needed more episodes, or
at least a TV movie finale.
Bonus My So-Called Life, because I can:
Posts
Excellent review. I read The List during the summer and was astounded by how real the characters seemed. Even if I wouldn't have necessarily liked some of them as people, *cough*Sarah*cough* I still found little pieces of myself in all eight of the girls, which is a really rare thing to have happen while you're reading a book. Oh and, agreed on the ending.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Though I identified with all of the girls, I would have a few difficulties interacting with Sarah. For obvious reasons.
DeleteHmm. Never heard of this book, but I hate non-endings. It seemed like there were aspects you really enjoyed, though.
ReplyDeleteThere were. It's a shame that the ending is the last impression I was left with (imagine that! WEIRD, right?), because most of the book was pretty excellent.
DeleteHaven't heard of the book. Nice review.
ReplyDeleteI have really wanted to read this book for a while now, but I think that I have changed my mind. A book leaving things off, with so many questions, and not a sequel coming to answer them? Yeah, that is one thing that makes me incredibly upset. Especially if I have come to care about the characters. And it seems like I would care about these girls. So, I think I might have to skip this one to save myself some frustration. One last thing, though. I am like you about multiple POV's. If it is done well, I really enjoy it. I think it can add a lot to a book. Anyway, thanks for your review!
ReplyDeleteI've been a bit on the fence with this book, but I think I'll put off reading it for a while longer. I just don't know that I want to read a book right now that doesn't have a plot and just drops off at the end. I feel like I need a book that moves along quickly and wraps up nicely. There are too many series out right now and the last thing I need is a stand-alone that doesn't feel like a complete story. It is good to hear that all the characters are nicely developed, even with as many as there are. Thanks for your review!
ReplyDeleteHmmm... your review seems convincing. I already started reading this book last month but I stopped because I got bored. I think I'll start reading it again. :D
ReplyDelete