A Corner of the Universe

I don't know why I was surprised that Ann M. Martin has written more than just the Babysitters Club series, but she's published a wide variety of other books. And this one was really good! It deal with mental illness in a very honest and age appropriate way. I loved that Martin wove so many characters throughout the story so that every possible reaction and attitude could be explored. Setting the story in 1960 also felt right with the way the novel played out and how everyone reacted to the uncle's "difference". Her main character, Hattie, was also a very likable yet believable 12-year-old; she felt like a real person with authentic emotions and reactions to the events surrounding her.

Course evaluation:

Personal Response: After only knowing Martin through her Babysitters Club series, I was surprised with the depth and darker issues of this story. Hattie felt very real to me and Martin’s portrayal of Adam also had a ring of truth to it; the authenticity of the emotions in this novel will stay with me to most.

Evaluation: The setting of this novel is apparent immediately (1960), when mental illness is not discussed and the carnival is the biggest event in a small town. This felt very authentic, but the time period did not detract from the universality of the story. Children will recognize the attitudes and characters in their current lives, particularly the people’s discomfort around metal illness. The topic is appropriate for this age group and Martin uses a variety of perspectives in order to explore the myriad issues surrounding mental illness. All of the possible reactions and emotions surrounding this issue are explored through the wide cast of characters. Each reaction feels realistic and Hattie in particular is not reduced to just a few emotions. She explores many feelings throughout the story in a way that feels authentic to the character and her age. ( )

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[a:Ann M. Martin|21616|Ann M. Martin|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1208461887p2/21616.jpg] writes shy adolescents better than almost anyone, I think. And while coming-of-age fiction can become a bit formulaic, when it's written well it can be wonderful, and I think Ann avoids major pitfalls in [b:A Corner of the Universe|65070|A Corner of the Universe|Ann M. Martin|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328867073s/65070.jpg|63141]. I really, really enjoyed it.

Long-time, obsessive fans of the Baby-sitters Club series will recognize familiar details here and there, but I found these more nostalgic than distracting; for the most part, reading a stand-alone novel like this, pitched to a slightly more mature audience, reminded me that Ann is quite a good writer. The setting and the characters were drawn gently and sparingly, yet consistently held their own through the story. I identified so much with Hattie's comfort in the familiarity of her surroundings and both the joy and agony of that stability being shaken. If anything, though, I was surprised just how dark the book went; and given that, I wasn't comfortable with the way the final crisis was dealt with -- there was almost a feeling of inevitability about what happens to Adam and not enough acknowledgment that this was a horrific tragedy and not the way things should ever have ended up. Just having finished it, I'm sifting through some ambivalence there. ( )