Sorrow’s Knot by Erin Bow
Summary: Born to the pinch’s binder, Willow, Otter is even more powerful than her mother when it comes to binding the dead with knots. But when Willow rejects Otter as her successor, events conspire to place Otter in a position where she must become binder anyway. Her friends Kestral and Cricket have different roles in the pinch, but their combined knowledge helps the three unravel why the White Hands are haunting their people, and how it all began. Cricket’s openness as second storyteller gets him banished from the pinch though, and Kestral and Otter go after him hoping they are not too late to save him. On their journey they met Orca, a young man from another place, and when Otter is infected by a White Hand like her mother, she must figure out how to break the curse and save the pinch or wind up another casualty.
Number of Pages: 342
Age Range: 14-16
Review: In a wrenching and engaging story, Erin Bow explores themes of grief, loss, and the grieving process. Otter is a binder by birth, holding great power to bind the dead so they will not haunt the pinch and infect others by touching them. Binders have a long history in the pinch, but over the years the separation of roles has divided the pinch’s knowledge to their detriment. When Tamarack, the first binder in the pinch, dies, Otter’s mother, Willow, feels overwhelmed by the task and becomes touched by madness as she calls back Tamarack’s spirit to help her. She becomes infected by a White Hand, and must be killed so she does not harm others.
Hurt when her mother, Willow, doesn’t take her as her successor, Otter gathers knowledge about binding, the White Hands, and the history of the binders. Through her journey she figures out how to stop the dead from staying, but this realization goes against everything she has been taught. In a powerful scene she accepts her fate after being touched by a White Hand, choosing to use her certain demise to free the dead that have been bound.
I love titles with double meanings and Sorrow’s Knot is especially apt as Otter and those before her use a knot by that name to bind the dead, but also because the nature of sorrow is to knot up a person’s emotions, causing them to remain where they are as they struggle to deal with their grief. Bow’s history of Mad Spider, the binder that started everything, was insightful, as it was easy to see how a young girl would miss her mother so much she would try to keep her near in whatever way possible. The instinct to hold on to those we’ve lost is relatable, and letting go of the dead is the hardest thing to be faced with.
If the main theme of Sorrow’s Knot is grief, then the undercurrrent is the effect of storytelling on life. As you can probably tell from my choices for memorable quotes, the storytellers were my favourite characters. Without them, Otter never would have discovered what she needed to to right the wrongs of the past, and their imposed silence about certain stories was disturbing. It’s a great metaphor for modern writing as some stories are acceptable to write about and tell and some are not, and I love how Bow uses the storytellers to convey the ultimate importance of sharing stories again and again. I also like the concept of a story having many possible endings.
Sorrow’s Knot is a beautiful read, containing an involving fantasy adventure for younger readers, and intriguing depth for older readers. I missed reading Plain Kate by Bow, but I think I will have to remedy that when my Marathon of Books is completed.
Memorable Quotes:
“‘This world is a door tunnel,’ said Cricket. ‘There is a world behind and a world ahead. What the storytellers say is that White Hands are those that should pass through the curtain – but are bound halfway. Those caught in the door.'” – Cricket from Sorrow’s Knot by Erin Bow, page 54
“Storytellers -‘ Orca snapped. And then he dropped his voice: It hissed and thrummed like his hand rubbing across a drum. ‘A storyteller can spin a web that will hold the dead listening until they dry up like stranded eels. A story teller can change men’s minds. Tell their futures. Compel their help. Create their love. With a little work and time, Kestral, this storyteller could drive you quite mad.'” – Orca from Sorrow’s Knot by Erin Bow, page 244
“‘Any story. Any story can have more than one ending.’ Orca’s voice was passionate, low and rough. His hands trembled on his dum, making the heartbeat rhythm flutter. ‘And I don’t know how my father’s ended. If he walked into the sea or into the forest. If something taller and hollowed walked back. There was a horror tale that followed me. I heard it on the trade trails, before I left my country behind. But I don’t know.'” – Orca from Sorrow’s Knot by Erin Bow, page 302
Sorrow’s Knot by Erin Bow is published by Arthur A. Levine Books, (2013).
Hockey Girl by Natalie Hyde
Summary: When Tara’s championship-winning baseball team finds themselves in their off-season, a goading dare from a local boys hockey team nudges them into becoming hockey players. While they have the skills, the politics behind playing on a girls hockey team quickly become apparent as they face one obstacle after another: the loss of their coach, limited ice time and outrageous practice hours. As the dare becomes a bet that involves having the highest standings in their respective leagues, Tara and her friends face extra discrimination as they must fight for the right just to play the games they have scheduled as opposed to only focussing on winning them. Their struggle for equality on the ice infects the community; challenging long-held beliefs about who belongs in sport, and what being equals really means.
Number of Pages: 151
Age Range: 13-17
Review: I admit to prejudging Hockey Girl by Natalie Hyde. Some books on my Marathon of Books I look forward to reading, and some I don’t. I tend to shy away from books about sports because it is one of my least favourite genres. But the old adage about the folly of judging a book by its cover proved true today as I found myself immersed in an empowering tale of female equality.
Hockey Girl is more than a simple sports book, it is a sensitive and thoughtful exploration of the institution of hockey in Canada and the double standards that exist for female and male players. Though the book is about Tara and her team’s struggles, I love Hyde’s juxtaposition of Tara and Kip, one highly discouraged from playing the game, and the other encouraged to the point of obsession. They share similar feelings and frustrations for different reasons, which leads to their easy connection and attraction.
Tara and her team face challenge after challenge, constantly having to rise above and prove themselves as serious athletes. When their ice time gets cancelled because too many male teams need it, the team challenges the status quo and shakes things up with a t-shirt campaign. Simple, yet effective, the t-shirts feature an equal sign, indicating that female hockey players should get as much ice time as their male counterparts. The shirts spark a community discussion about equality, putting pressure on those in charge, and the revelations of key characters wearing the shirts was immensely enjoyable.
Hyde keeps levity in her tale with the bet between the girls and boys hockey teams. The stakes of having to cheer on the other team all season long in a predetermined costume is perhaps unfairly balanced with the guys’ insistence on a revealing outfit for the girls if they lose, but serves as a huge motivator.
I like Hockey Girl as a pick for teen girls of all ages, because its’ message of the importance of fighting inequality is powerful and moving. Inspired by real life events (see http://www.fitzhenry.ca/HockeyGirl/ ), Hyde’s book reminds us of how far we still have to go when it comes to being equal.
After the end of the book I just had one question: “Where’s my t-shirt?”
Memorable Quotes:
“I tried not to, but I couldn’t help smiling. ‘It’s my family,’ I said. ‘For my brothers, it’s hockey this and hockey that, and for me, it’s “Tara, can you be our maid so the boys can play?” And when I have to miss one tiny thing because of a practice, I get the “guilt look.”‘
Kip nodded. ‘Oh, I know that look well. Only I get it if I even hint that I might miss a practice because I’m not feeling well, or heaven forbid, need to study for an exam. And don’t even think about missing a game. You should have heard my dad arguing wit the doctor to let me back on the ice only a week after the concussion. Dr. Chan was having none of it. Given the chance, I’m sure my dad would wheel me out onto the ice on a stretcher or tape my hockey stick to a cast before he let me miss a game.'” – Conversation between Tara and Kip from Hockey Girl by Natalie Hyde, page 99
“‘Oh, poor baby hockey star,’ I said. ‘It’s terrible that you are so talented and forced to follow your dream. Do you even know what it’s like to have someone else telling you what you can and cannot do?’
Kip got quiet. ‘As a matter of fact I do. I’ve told my dad in a thousand different ways that I don’t want a career in hockey. I want to study mechanical engineering. Might as well be telling him I want to be a chicken plucker. He keeps pushing me to go straight to the OHL so I have a better chance at playing pro. I want to play Junior A so I can get a real hockey scholarship down the road. He just brushes it off like it’s a phase I’m going through and keeps talking about tryouts for hockey camps and invites scouts to watch my games.’
‘But you’re so good at hockey. You told me you love the game.’
“I do love hockey. But not as my job. It’s a pretty unstable business and besides…’ he smiled wryly. ‘I wouldn’t mind keeping all my brain cells.'” – Conversation between Tara and Kip from Hockey Girl by Natalie Hyde, page 110-111
“We chomped our fries in silence. It really was a bit hard to take. When it came right down to it, the men in town only tolerated us as long as we didn’t inconvenience the “important” sports teams. It was not unlike how it was at home. My parents came to my softball games only if there was nothing else on the schedule. And forget practices altogether. We were alone on that field. And now the same with our hockey team. It didn’t matter what sport we played or how well we did, we girls were always second best.” – Tara from Hockey Girl by Natalie Hyde, page 113
“‘A girl has a better chance of making it to the National Team than a boy does of making it into the NHL. On those statistics alone we should be letting all the girls play ad cutting the boys’ ice times back.’
My dad’s mouth hung open.
‘Not to mention that the city seems to have no trouble taking taxes from every working woman in town to help pay for the arenas, parks, and ball diamonds. Why then shouldn’t the women have equal access?’
She stood up and unbuttoned her sweater and took it off. I almost had tears in my eyes when I saw what she was wearing underneath. A hot pink T-shirt with a glittery gold equal sign stamped in the middle.” – Tara’s mother from Hockey Girl by Natalie Hyde, page 122
Hockey Girl by Natalie Hyde is published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside, (2012).
Signs of Martha by Sarah Raymond
Summary: Living in Putnam, Ontario, sixteen year-old Martha is caught between a potentially premature marriage and wanting to pursue her dreams of being an artist. For the summer, Martha is harvesting a cucumber crop with her friend Bernie, but when a woman named Velvet rolls into town painting unique signs for her customers, Martha is drawn to her like a moth to a flame. Under Velvet’s influence, Martha finds her voice, revealing hidden truths around town that have previously gone unsaid through her own signs. Velvet invites an art critic to town to view Martha’s work and Martha sees a way out of life as she knows it, but when things don’t go as planned it is up to her to sort her life out herself, without excuses.
Number of Pages: 173
Age Range: 14-16
Review: There are a lot of things going on in Martha’s life. Her boyfriend, John, has his and her future all planned out as he buys the farm he has always dreamed of, her father has his head in the clouds with his positive thinking and ambitions, and her sister finds superiority and distance from family matters in religion. But Martha seems to have more in common with her mother, hiding her feelings and going along with the status quo for as long as possible.
Except Martha has dreams of her own, and when the opportunity comes to pursue them she takes advantage of it after some initial reluctance. Through her art she finds a way to let out everything that has been building up inside her, and while it makes her quite unpopular at first, but ends up acting as a catalyst to free Martha up to tell the truth in all areas of her life. Her journey toward living authentically inspires others in her family to do so as well.
With quirky, loveable characters and a believable small town setting, author Sarah Raymond explores the theme of being yourself by having the courage to be honest.
Memorable Quotes:
“Dreams really are like cucumber blossoms. Highly delicate and embarrassingly loud in colour.” – Martha from Signs of Martha by Sarah Raymond, page 46
“‘The power to succeed comes from within, Martha.’
A few years back, he thought the power came from God, but times change.” – from Signs of Martha by Sarah Raymond, page 57
Signs of Martha by Sarah Raymond is published by Great Plains Teen Fiction, (2011).
Until Today by Pam Fluttert
Summary: For as long as she can remember, Kat has been harbouring a terrible secret: her father’s best friend has been manipulating her and abusing her since she was little. Volunteering in a children’s hospital where she encounters Taylor, a girl dealing with physical abuse, Kat becomes inspired by her bravery in telling others who is to blame. With a family that labels her as a troublemaker, Kat is understandably hesitant to reveal the truth, fearing no one will believe her. But when Greg, her abuser slips up, others start to question the nature of their relationship and Kat must decide whether to tell the truth herself, or watch as it all unravels before her.
Number of Pages: 195
Age Range: 13-14
Review: Until Today by Pam Fluttert tackles the challenging subject of childhood abuse. Based partially on her own personal experience, Fluttert introduces her reader to Kat, a teen who has been sexually abused by her father’s best friend since she was a little girl. The shame Kat feels for ‘letting’ it happen keeps her quiet, as does the fear that no one will believe her over Greg, her abuser.
Fluttert has my respect for writing about Kat’s experiences, and I especially like how she connects Kat with Taylor. Their friendship provides both with the strength to face their demons and stop the abuse.
With the way Kat’s parents seem to have her scapegoated as the cause of most family troubles though, I was quite surprised when they immediately trusted her version of events. Kat’s ability to forgive her parents in spite of years of pent up anger was also astonishing. It was easy to care for Kat as a character, and I wanted to tell her over and over again that the abuse wasn’t her fault.
Though Until Today takes its reader right up to the end of the abuse and through Kat’s struggle to tell the truth, it only hints at the challenges Kat will face once the abuse ends as she embarks on a new relationship with her parents and possibly her first romantic relationship as well. There is more to the story than what is contained in Fluttert’s 195 pages, but I understand that part of Kat’s story could be a whole other novel.
If it is followed by discussion with an adult, I think this is a suitable pick for early teen readers.
Memorable Quotes:
“Sarah gets to be the little girl I could never be. She has the peace that comes with innocence, the trusting nature of somebody who doesn’t have a worry in the world. For now.” – Kat from Until Today by Pam Fluttert, page 96
“Uncontrolled panic blurs my vision, causing me to sway. ‘I’ve lost control. The only thing I had control of for all those years was my secret. It was mine and nobody else’s and now it’s gone. Oh no, oh no, no, no.'” – Kat from Until Today by Pam Fluttert, page 189
Until Today by Pam Fluttert is published by Second Story Press, (2013).
What We Hide by Marthe Jocelyn
Summary: After receiving their draft notices to fight in the Vietnam War, Tom and his friend Matt take very different paths. Matt’s family encourages him to serve his country, while Tom’s family frantically searches for a loophole, finding one in the education clause. Tom and his sister Jenn are sent to England to go to school, hiding far away from the reality of war, and in the process end up meeting several colourful characters at Jenny’s boarding school with secrets of their own to hide.
Number of Pages: 275
Age Range: 15-17
Review: A full-length novel, What We Hide by Marthe Jocelyn reads more like a collection of short stories with a common theme, the secrets we keep to survive.
I confess, I went into this book expecting something that it wasn’t, a piece of historical fiction examining the draft for the Vietnam War. While being drafted was the catalyst of the story, instead it was an examination of the truths people hide. Dodging the draft and feeling like a coward while Tom’s best friend faces war in the jungle is only one such truth, and Jocelyn explores other secrets surrounding the fellow students at the boarding school Jenny attends and those connected to them.
There are many stories to choose from, and my favourites were those of Brenda and Percy. Not only is Brenda doing her best to support her sister and her fatherless nephews, but she is a teenager falling in love for the first time, an experience marred by the roving hands of a trusted physician. It’s a secret she feels she must keep from her boyfriend, who turns out to be the physician’s son.
Percy is the oddball at school. Furiously scribbling in a notebook most of the time and teased when he claims his father is a well-known movie star, Percy is just trying to find his place in the world as the son of a father he’s never really known. And when his father finally does come around, Percy finds himself to be the missing child featured in all of his father’s movies.
Jocelyn’s characters are heartfelt in their struggles with claiming identity, belonging, parents, love, and acceptance. I love the undercurrent of the subjectiveness of truth and the influence of who is telling the story on how it turns out. The book has humourous moments, and, in the end, a commitment to living authentically from several of the characters.
I did want to know more about Matt and Tom, but I ended up enjoying Jocelyn’s book for what it was, a subtle look at the lengths we go to in hiding our differences to just fit in.
Memorable Quotes:
“Every bit of Luke’s skin tingled, as if he were the one rubbed raw. It was the brand-new bare-naked feeling of being himself. He tucked his arms around Robbie as best he could. After days of wondering, after the morning of screeching anxiety, Luke breathed in those few perfect seconds with the music of trolley wheels in the corridor, and his nose warm, in Robbie’s neck.” – Luke from What We Hide by Marthe Jocelyn, page 116
“‘Ah,’ said Amy. ‘The question that humans have tackled for centuries. What is truth?’
‘That’s what I mean,’ said Nico. ‘No such thing. Especially if you’re talking about someone else. Nobody knows. It might not be lies, bit it’s not true either. It’s the way the story is told, what gets emphasized. Or left out.'” – Conversation between Amy and Nico from What We Hide by Marthe Jocelyn, page 169
What We Hide by Marthe Jocelyn is published by Tundra Books, (2014).
About Amy
Amy Mathers has been passionate about reading from a very young age, and hopes others will share her enthusiasm for funding a teen book award. Read more Follow Amy
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