Friday, October 11, 2013

Lighthouse Island-Paulette Jiles

Lighthouse Island

Paulette Jiles

Morrow, Oct 8 2013, $26.99

ISBN: 9780062232502



In the harsh endless city, parents abandon their four years old daughter. The neighborhood watch takes the bewildered child away and soon she ends up in an orphanage where many of the abandoned reside. All the children watch television and do nothing else. Only Raisa cannot see the screen or anything else, which gives her time to think. She believes that her mom will come back one day and turn on her eyes so that she can see the North Star.



The Agency for Parentless Dependents names her Nadia Stepan. While the others live in absolute fear from the powerful and numb their phobias with TV, Nadia the loner dreams of a life without trepidation. She turns to the outlawed Big Radio for tales before the sea to sea urbanization and loves poetry. However, her quest to find Lighthouse Island keeps Nadia going even when hope abandons her.



Lighthouse Island is a bleak futuristic dystopian thriller that paints a drab existence for the 99.9% as group ennui leaves no room for individualism. Although the large support cast makes for some difficulty to follow the plot, readers will relish the protagonist on her dream quest for happiness in an Orwellian world.



Harriet Klausner

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