Gone is Just the Beginning

The first non-blockbuster YA book I've read in quite some time (since sophomore year of college, I think--wow), and Gone is everything you'd expect it to be: original, suspenseful, and trope-r-iffic!

The basics: Gone begins with everyone over 14 in the small town of Perdido Beach disppearing: one second they're there, the next, they're gone. Our main protagonist, Sam, shunts taking responsibility and instead looks for his crush Astrid's autistic little brother, along with his wisecracking best friend Quinn. This leaves the town bully, Orc, in charge: at least until the boarding school kids show up. Oh, and on top of the survival problem, some kids have special powers: lightning bolts, teleporting, telekinesis, or other kinds of power that only require their hands to be free. And the local wildlife has also mutated: snakes can now fly and coyotes talk, for instance. All the while Sam and co. try to solve the mystery of the FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone).

Now, this is only the first book of a series (with the final installment due next year), so only a few of the mysteries are solved, with many more still to come, I'm sure. The story takes so many unexpected twists and turns, I can't tell you too much of the plot without spoiling this thrill. (Still, spoilers may follow)

Guh, their makeup is so overdone

The structure of the book is very cinematic: we jump around to different scenes and perspectives throughout the book, just like in any disaster movie or TV drama. We see what both the "good guys" and the "bad guys" are up to, which only builds the suspense and excitement even more, as we uncover new details and more secrets are revealed. The premise is also very imaginative, combining elements from classic stories and creating a whole new breed of sci-fi and the supernatural. However, there are moments that make you go, "Really?"--even with the unrealistic premise, some things are just too far-fetched. For example: would Lana and her dog really have survived a tumble down a steep ravine in a vehicle without their seatbelts on? The fact that Sam and Caine are twin brothers really came out of left field--no hints or anything. And--really? You name the bad brother "Caine"? Gee, I wonder what that references.

Bald biblical references aside, this story is full of familiar tropes. We have the reluctant hero (Sam); the goofy, hopelessly ordinary best friend (Quinn); the genius and love interest rolled into one (Astrid); the idiot savant (Pete); the token minority (Edilio); the big dumb bully and his loyal sidekick (Orc and Howard); the cunning villain, who doubly serves as the hero's foil (Caine); the sadistic psychopath (Drake); the sultry seductress (but PG-rated: Diana); the computer whiz (Jack); the den mother (Mary); among others. Whatever comes to your mind when you think of these tropes, that's probably what they are. They might step out of the box every now and then, but their characters are pretty predictable. There's also a real, sinister evil lurking behind it all--though there will be more on that in the next book, most likely. Funnily enough, basically all the bullies go by non-human nicknames--so it's easy to tell who those guys are. There's nothing wrong with characters fitting neatly into tropes(that's why they're tropes); however, it makes for unambitious characterization.


Now I must put my feminist hat on and make a salient point here. In the wake of an adult-free world, duties have been more or less divided by gender. The girls are in charge of the young and the sick or injured (with some boys helping), while the boys go off and have adventures and are trained to use the guns. Even Astrid, the most prominent female in the story, has to take care of her special-needs brother rather than help them fight the Coates Academy invasion. The girls are to protect and heal, rather than use force. This even extends to their powers: the most powerful freak girl is likely Lana, and her power is to heal. Other named female characters can teleport, suspend gravity, "read" people, or run really fast. The ones with violent powers are killed off early on. The boys, on the other hand, can shoot light from their hands, move large objects, or band metal. A boy does run the abandoned McDonald's, but it's not like a male running a restaurant is totally unheard of. It appears that, for all they've yet to learn, the children of the FAYZ know their gender roles all too well. The author probably did not even notice this.

Diversity gets a pass in the novel, however. There's not a hint of gay or lesbian characters (though Howard seems a little too attached to Orc). There are several characters of color: Edilio, Dekka, Taylor, Dahra, Chunk, and probably Lana (with an American Indian grandfather, she's at least one-fourth non-white). Overt racism is scattered, and when it occurs the "good" guys rightfully frown upon it. While our initial trio is definitely white, the addition of Edilio and later, Lana, to the primary cast of characters unbleaches it somewhat.

Also, it doesn't rain for the whole 12-14 days the story takes place. Um, can it even rain under the dome? If not, they'll have a thirst problem before a hunger problem.

In spite of the black-and-white configuration of the primary narrative, Gone handles the issues of survival and violence more deftly than even The Hunger Games, and pulls no punches. Kids die, kids are killed, seriously injured, or traumatized. Some kids can't bring themselves to kill. Others are sorely afraid. And a new world doesn't make old problems go away. Even with the young target audience (I would say 10 or 12+) there ain't no sugar-coating such a crisis. There is violence aplenty, but few actually enjoy it. Of course, the villains are still villains, and there's no Gamemakers to blame the catastrophe on--yet.

I will definitely be reading the next book of the series. But I'll see how thing develop before I commit to the end. General Rating: 3 stars out of 5. Oppression Rating: 4.