The Selection
I have recently finished reading “The Selection” by Kiera Cass, and even though this is only the first volume of a trilogy, there are some comments I would already like to make.
First of all, I have definitely enjoyed the book. This is even surprising, and I will explain why: I normally prefer to read about older heroines, ones who are more experienced and, psychologically, more mature. Here, in contrast, the heroine is just 17 years old. But firstly, due to the hardships that she has to face in her life, given her relatively low social status, she is more experienced than a 17-year-old girl is expected to be by default. Secondly, she is a very clever, sensible, clear-thinking girl, and that plays an important role, too.
The story is well-written, and I can easily understand why it is so popular. It is a Cinderella story, but it is also much more than that, as it raises numerous social issues. I’ve been trying to figure out the genre of the book (except for YA, of course.) And it was difficult. There is something there that makes me want to say it’s fantasy. Probably this is due to the fact that “The Selection” is in a sense a modern retelling of a fairy tale, and that’s exactly what fantasy is, in my view. However, there is no magic in the book, no elves, dwarves or dragons, and in general, nothing that would justify the term “fantasy”, again, except for the fact that this is a Cinderella story taking place in a non-real world (or, more precisely, a hypothetical, anti-utopia-like version of our world in the future.)
The world itself is very interesting. In terms of its properties, it’s an interaction of the past and the future. The existence of kings, queens and princes, a contest whereby a prince is to choose one girl out of many, the great importance that is assigned to the social hierarchy and even such painful elements as the whipping of a hungry boy for stealing bread – all of this reminds of fairy tales and the old days with which these tales are associated. But at the same time, TV shows, terrible bureaucracy, reference to world wars – all of this takes us to the present and to the future. This interaction, mixture of times is quite interesting and original. And as a result, we get a fairy tale told about modern people.
Finally, <spoiler> the love triangle is, of course, worth mentioning. Two young men love the protagonist: her former boyfriend, whose social status is a bit lower than hers, which has spoiled their otherwise perfect relationship, and the prince. Since I’ve only read the first book, I don’t know yet who is going to win her heart in the end. My guess is that this is going to be the prince because – well, because this is a Cinderella story! But I have to confess: at the moment I am not very happy with this understanding. I would vote for the boyfriend. In general, I have a strange tendency to identify with male characters in novels with a female protagonist (this also works when I write those novels!), and I definitely empathize with Aspen. Many will say that their separation is his own fault, and in some sense this may be true, but in my opinion, the true reason is the unfair social system in which they live. Aspen’s pride can be seen as a virtue, rather than a fault. The real problem is the world the characters live in. This world constitutes one of the main characters of the book, to no lesser extent that America, Aspen or Maxon, and that is one of the book’s benefits. It will be a pity if Aspen loses his love because of the unfairness and the cruelty of that world. On the other hand, it is only through a relationship with Maxon that America (whose name is, of course, not accidentally chosen) can actually change the world, turning it into a better one.</spoiler>
The Selection
First of all, I have definitely enjoyed the book. This is even surprising, and I will explain why: I normally prefer to read about older heroines, ones who are more experienced and, psychologically, more mature. Here, in contrast, the heroine is just 17 years old. But firstly, due to the hardships that she has to face in her life, given her relatively low social status, she is more experienced than a 17-year-old girl is expected to be by default. Secondly, she is a very clever, sensible, clear-thinking girl, and that plays an important role, too.
The story is well-written, and I can easily understand why it is so popular. It is a Cinderella story, but it is also much more than that, as it raises numerous social issues. I’ve been trying to figure out the genre of the book (except for YA, of course.) And it was difficult. There is something there that makes me want to say it’s fantasy. Probably this is due to the fact that “The Selection” is in a sense a modern retelling of a fairy tale, and that’s exactly what fantasy is, in my view. However, there is no magic in the book, no elves, dwarves or dragons, and in general, nothing that would justify the term “fantasy”, again, except for the fact that this is a Cinderella story taking place in a non-real world (or, more precisely, a hypothetical, anti-utopia-like version of our world in the future.)
The world itself is very interesting. In terms of its properties, it’s an interaction of the past and the future. The existence of kings, queens and princes, a contest whereby a prince is to choose one girl out of many, the great importance that is assigned to the social hierarchy and even such painful elements as the whipping of a hungry boy for stealing bread – all of this reminds of fairy tales and the old days with which these tales are associated. But at the same time, TV shows, terrible bureaucracy, reference to world wars – all of this takes us to the present and to the future. This interaction, mixture of times is quite interesting and original. And as a result, we get a fairy tale told about modern people.
Finally, <spoiler> the love triangle is, of course, worth mentioning. Two young men love the protagonist: her former boyfriend, whose social status is a bit lower than hers, which has spoiled their otherwise perfect relationship, and the prince. Since I’ve only read the first book, I don’t know yet who is going to win her heart in the end. My guess is that this is going to be the prince because – well, because this is a Cinderella story! But I have to confess: at the moment I am not very happy with this understanding. I would vote for the boyfriend. In general, I have a strange tendency to identify with male characters in novels with a female protagonist (this also works when I write those novels!), and I definitely empathize with Aspen. Many will say that their separation is his own fault, and in some sense this may be true, but in my opinion, the true reason is the unfair social system in which they live. Aspen’s pride can be seen as a virtue, rather than a fault. The real problem is the world the characters live in. This world constitutes one of the main characters of the book, to no lesser extent that America, Aspen or Maxon, and that is one of the book’s benefits. It will be a pity if Aspen loses his love because of the unfairness and the cruelty of that world. On the other hand, it is only through a relationship with Maxon that America (whose name is, of course, not accidentally chosen) can actually change the world, turning it into a better one.</spoiler>
The Selection
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