Title: The House of the Scorpion
Author: Nancy Farmer
Date Published: May 2004
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Rating: 5 Stars
*****
The Goodreads Summary: Matteo Alacran was not born; he was harvested with the DNA from El Patron, lord of a country called Opium. Can a boy who was bred to guarantee another’s survival find his own purpose in life? And can he ever be free?
The Writing Style:
The House of the Scorpion was the first of Nancy Farmer's novels that I have read so I was immediately hyper aware of the style that Farmer utilized. Generally this tends to interfere with my reading as my mind plucks the author from the story. Remarkably, this was not an issue for me while reading
The House of the Scorpion. Farmer's style was her characters. Sometimes, especially when a woman author writes from a male's point of view (or vice versa), a simple phrase can force a reader to recognize that the character and the author are not the same. This was not he case for Farmer though. As she wrote, she was not Nancy Farmer, the writer, she was Matteo Alacran, which really added to the story.
The Characters:
Speaking of whom, Matteo Alacran was a lot of fun to read about. In the beginning however, there were two things that made me wary as I read on. The first was the fact that I do not speak (or in this case, read) Spanish. Being that the setting, a country called Opium, is located on the border between the USA and Mexico, it made sense for Spanish to be incorporated, and it really wasn't too distracting. Honestly, a Dora the Explorer basic understanding of simple Spanish and maybe a few Google translations would definitely be enough to guide you through the novel. The other (albeit minor) hindrance was that (and this may come as a surprise to you) I am not six years old. For the majority of the novel, Matt is a little kid. The novel begins when he is six and follows him until age fourteen. I have found that it can be difficult for a reader to immerse themselves in a younger character but thankfully, this did not appear to be a problem while reading about Matt. Matt was a very mature character being that he was so clueless in the beginning. Something that made reading from Matt's point of view was, not only was he a strong character, but we were as new to the world of Opium as he was. As he learned, we learned, and it made the story all that much more enjoyable. Matt was a joy to read for, and a joy to root for.
And root for him we did. However, he was not the end of it. Nancy Farmer, presented the reader with a whole cast of characters to root for... and against. Celia, Tam Lin, Tom and Mr. Alacran were all easily defined in our minds. For the most part, readers knew who they liked and who we didn't. Then, of course there was El Patron. El Patron may have been the most confusing character I have ever read about. There were times that I wondered whether he was the antagonist or not. That, I suppose, is up for debate. He may have been a twisted old man, but he was still a positive figure in Matt's life (kind of, sort of, sometimes), and while the reader became Matt, they found the paternal bond that El Patron forged (regardless of its authenticity) with Matt, and how Matt felt towards the original Matteo Alacran.
The Plot:
The House of the Scorpion was a fantastic read. Too often in today's young adult literature, novels fall into a common plot line or familiar concepts. This was definitely not a problem that I found while reading this book. I've never read a book involving clones and, well, I don't want to spoil anything but the layers in this book are mind blowing. There were enough plot twists and turns to keep you on your toes but not so many as to distract you from the story, and the entire novel was well paced. It was a steady read that leaves you satisfied.
The End:
That all being said, I read on Goodreads that a sequel was published this past September. I am immediately wary of this. It is a scary thing, to read a book, love it, and not know if the sequel will live up to it. Regardless, I definitely recommend this book for dystopian lovers, sci-fi lovers, YA lovers, lovers of middle grade books, and just plain book lovers. Have you read this book? What did you think? as El Patron a good guy or a bad guy? How was my review? Have you got any feedback for me? Let me know in the comments below!
Bookishly,
Brook
