by Kristen Landon
Edition: Aladdin, hardback, 2010
My overall rating: 2 out of 5 stars. {Had the ending been better, I would've given it a 3.5 or 4.0}
The story: To pay off his parents' debt, Matt Dunston is taken away to a modern-day workhouse, run by a charismatic woman and a high-tech security system. After his intelligence and skill earn him the "Top Floor" of the building--where only the smartest kids live--his luxurious, privileged life there begins to contradict his previous expectations. But when some of the other teens start suffering from headaches and seizures, Matt realises he's got to discover what's really going on, or else watch his loved one get overcome by the same influence.
My thoughts: This book had an interesting plot basis--I would call it a speculative sci-fi/horror, with an extremely intelligent 13 year-old guy as the protagonist (similar to Airborn). I found the writing style way more readable than Airborn; The Limit has more flow, more characterized dialogue, and less objectionable content. It was a real page-turner, too. The action was very well-written and it complimented the dialogue. Excellent writing.
The teen characters were also really good, especially Matt. He was not entirely likeable, but he was consistent, without being a flat character. He's a website hacker with an attitude, to name just a couple of his faults; but at the workhouse, he turns his skills to fighting crime, keeping a level head and lots of persistence during imprisonment. (The downside is that website hacking is here presented as a survival skill. Hmm...great example for young readers.) Matt's grim sense of humour made me LOL more than once. I guess he's supposed to be a "realistic, flawed" character...if so, then the author succeeded.
That pretty much sums up the pros of this book. As for the cons, there were a few things that really bugged me. *MINOR SPOILERS*
Firstly, the Dunston parents' unconcern for their kids--it happened far too quickly. If the Dunstons are supposed to represent the average parents (as they seem to), it ought to take longer before they stop worrying about their absent children, especially when one of them is very ill. Even if they aren't the best parents in the world, they seem unrealistically gullible. Secondly, where's their true sense of guilt? The lack thereof is maybe more believable than their indifference to the loss of their children, but their cheerful self-confidence in making things right sounds like an unlikely case of naivete (Example: they believe they can earn money through a pyramid-scheme type of scam. And I thought this was a futuristic book.). This puzzling portrayal of the Dunston parents only serves to give Matt an excuse for getting mad at them.
Another thing I disliked was that the conspiracy behind the workhouse, once briefly explained, was skimmed over. It made the sinister workhouse appear too complex and on the verge of unbelievability. It felt as if the conspiracy was more effective as convenient drama than an actual plot element. This weak climax hurt the rest of the plot.
Lastly, there's the message of the book itself. I'm still puzzling over exactly what the author was trying to say...
*MAJOR SPOILERS*
The last chapter was all "We're still at the workhouse, but everyone's ok and the new managers are nice!" Maybe the ending is an attempt to finish the story on an optimistic note; I don't know. It certainly didn't succeed...you can either take Matt seriously and listen to the "parents are dumb, I'm smart and will save the day, and maybe the workhouse isn't so bad" speech, or you can look at it as Matt being pathetically naive, like his parents. Up until now, the reader has taken Matt seriously, so option 2 doesn't seem likely.
Overspending is dangerous, and it does lead to loading debt on a person's family/children. But there's still the topic of the workhouse idea. Are we to seriously believe that a real-life workhouse would be some kind of pleasant institution, where teens make friends, take college classes, and earn "big bucks" towards paying off debt? Are we to believe that Matt won't go into long-term depression over his split family? [And do the Dunston parents really quit spending? Their spending habits seem to depend on whether it goes with the plot or not.]
This book was obviously written with a message in mind, and it seems to have been a true message at that. But for the message to be clear, a less chipper ending would have been more appropriate.
0 comments:
Post a Comment