Review of Alouette’s Song by Andrew Jonathon Fine
Andrew Jonathan Fine (1962 – ) was born in Haddon Heights, New Jersey, to a Conservative Jewish family. He started high school at 12, eventually graduating with a bachelor in electrical engineering and a master in computer science by the age of 23
In Alouette’s Song, author Andrew Jonathan Fine has interwoven a love story with pure science fiction and yet somehow also has managed to thread spirituality and YA themes into it at the same time. The result is a tale both entertaining and uplifting.
Two young couples combine forces to thwart evil government entities, explore the galaxy, and — along the way — overcome prejudices and domineering adults to make their mark and save the world. Whew! It’s a lot for a first-time author to accomplish, but Fine manages to do so with skill and imagination.
Dorothy, Richard, Martin and Margaret are the main protagonists in this science-laced coming-of-age story. They rely on each other to negotiate their way through a morass of situational dilemmas and outright adventures to get from one end of the book to the other.
I particularly appreciated the courageousness of Fine’s use of an autistic character early on. Peggy captures your heart as she struggles to protect her vulnerable inner self from life’s harsh realities.
As the story unfolds, the kids build a spacecraft in an old YMCA building and then fly it to Jupiter, but with one small hitch — the bad guy, DuQuesne, has stowed away!
Events unfold and they find themselves in the middle of an alien civil war. The kids fight valiantly, but at a terrible cost — Richard is severely injured and his life is despaired of. Much of the battle and its aftermath is seen through the eyes of the aliens, a touching and unexpected perspective.
Does Richard survive? Do the kids eventually return to Earth? And what of the nefarious DuQuesne? I won’t spoil the ending, but suffice to say it’s a satisfying one.
Alouette’s Song is a very unique read. It’s crafted like a fine Swiss watch, with the characters interplaying in synchronous rhythm, finding love and adventure in the unlikeliest of places, from one end of the solar system to the other.
The author has also taken on some ambitious themes here, tacking issues as disparate as Judaism’s sometimes harsh decrees, to a gay young man’s struggles with his sexuality — and addressing them tastefully. Oh, yes, there’s also sex in a couple of o places in the book, but it’s treated with loving respect.
I give Alouette’s Song a solid five stars and issue a warm welcome to a talented writer.
