H. M. Bouwman

I bot this book at Lemuria Book Store in Jackson, MS, as a gift & souvenir for my newly teenage grandson back in KC.
I wanted to read it before I present it to him when I return to KC next week.
I found it to be an easy to read fantasy which engages the issues of slavery, refugees and magic.
It's actually pretty easy to relate to the world's struggles today with both racism and the refugee crises occurring all over the world.
I hope he enjoys it. It may be a little simple for him in the telling, but the issues are complex.



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In alternating perspectives and time shifts between 1949 and 1849, this fantasy-cum-fairytale is about three youths: Putnam, the son of the king of Raftworld; Artie, a runaway from Tathenland; and Rayel, daughter of the king of Raftworld 100 years ago. Each has suffered different kinds of loss, loneliness and trauma. Putnam and Artie sail away from their homes on a stolen boat; Rayel, too, escaped on a boat to get out of an arranged marriage. Their transformational journeys are similar, physically and emotionally, and enable them to confront their personal bears.… (mehr)

Sigh. Ok, so, my main problem is that this is a book about nonwhite people written by someone who is white, and I kinda felt that. The world building and characters were definitely interesting, although I wasn't completely sure what the ultimate plot was about. I was initially really happy to discover a YA book with nonwhite characters, and the wonderful illustrations made that clear, even if you'd breezed over the descriptions. And I was over-the-moon to have a character who was face-blind. But the afterward talked about how this book was based on historical events (about enslaved Africans and Vietnamese refugees) and how maybe if we could envision something better happening - albeit only through magic and a gate to another world - we could help make a better world now (no idea how). Although I enjoyed reading (although was slightly puzzled by) this book, in the end it seemed like this was a white person's desire to give - almost as a gift - a better outcome for nonwhite people suffering horrific events in history.… (mehr)