Photo by Beatrice Tyrenberg
A fast paced dystopian cliché, or a tribute?
Words: Beatrice Tyrenberg
American young adult novels tend to have three descriptive words on the back of the book, and though the words “captivating, fantasy, adventure” hits home with me, this isn’t the type of book I would normally choose for myself.
Mostly because it’s supposed to be funny, and due to my opinion, funny books almost never are. But also because it’s a romantically influenced dystopian youth tale with an unexpected hero – and honestly – haven’t we read it all before? As it turns out though, in this case that seems to be exactly what makes the story so unique.
As stated in the title, this is a book about fandom. It’s also about Violet, her brother Nate and her best friend Alice, whom all are completely fanning out over a book followed up by a movie that’s called The Gallows Dance.
That book on the other hand (and yes, this is where it gets complicated) is set in a universe where the genetically enhanced part of the population, the Gems, rules over the more today like folks, the Imps, and among other not too sensitive things occasionally, and ritually, let them hang for fun. Hence The Gallows Dance. In Violets/our world, it’s fandom status equals that of The Hunger Games and Harry Potter.
Comic Con is coming up, and Violet with her little crew, plus her classmate Katie (who’s the only one that isn’t a Gallows fan but still tags along) are naturally participating, dressed up as their favourite characters from the book. But just as they’re lined up to be photographed together with the stars of the movie, something happens, and they all end up in the actual world of the Gallows.
As it turns out, the universe they always longed to live in is actually a lot less glamorous than depicted in the film, and being an Imp in a world of Gems isn’t that fun either. Especially not if you’re supposed to lead the rebellion in order to get a chance of returning home.
Photo by Beatrice Tyrenberg
As anticipated from the plot, this novel is pretty spaced out, and the craziness shines through in both Violets character and the dialogue. And this, especially when it’s not aiming to be funny, is hilarious in itself. Everything is just so out of order, that I find it amusing to read. Every time you think that things couldn’t be any more crazy, they end up to be. Both in the separate scenarios and in the plot as a whole.
This is a novel that’s easily read, fast paced, and got really short chapters. And whether it’s a tribute to, or a cliché built on, contemporary dystopia (I’m leaning at 50/50 but never gets real sure about it) this is a somewhat romantic dystopian story. And as one of those, it’s both really unique but also somewhat thin.
I can’t help but to compare it to The Hunger Games or Divergent, and looking at it that way, The Fandom leaves too many loose ends for me to find the ending, or the Gallows-universe, satisfying. With that said, maybe that kind of comparison is a bit unfair. ‘Cause this book is, in the end, really all about the fandom.
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