Can dead teen Meg save her soul by helping a near-death senior finish his wish list?
Meg Finn is accidentally killed by her partner-in-crime during a burglary. Her last-minute act of kindness rescues her from being sent through the tunnel directly to hell. After winding up in limbo instead, the girl's spirit returns to earth in the hope of eventually going through "the Pearlies."
To make the heavenly cut, Meg goes to the aid of the elderly Lowrie McCall 68, a depressed down-and-out bloke who has four wishes on his list before he dies. But demon Beelzebub wants her soul, too, and he's sent a "Soul Man" -- a vicious dog-boy who murdered her -- to retrieve it.
This book was one of the first of Colfer's I picked up. I assume it was following reading Artemis Fowl but I don't know for certain. Regardless, when my library finally got its e-book copy in (after my having suggested it years ago), I figured it was a good excuse to pick it up again and see if it still held up over the years. Admittedly, I have a lot of nostalgia for this book. In fact, I remember it being one of the more influential stories that helped shape my religious views. Reading it again now, though, I'm not sure what enthralled me so much back then. Because I doubt I'd forget loving it for the reasons I do now.
I guess I'd describe the story as quaint. While the set dressing is rather ornate—with heaven and hell and spirits—the story itself is about finding connections with others, helping your fellow man, and living life without regrets. A good message, to be sure, but not as epic or consequential as I remembered/assumed it to be for its setting. Meg isn't a chosen one, or some lynch pin that either side needs for a great war; she's just a kid who's trying to make amends for her mistakes and help out another guy in the process. Sure, the journey is important for her, but it's not like the rest of the world hangs in the balance.
If you've read any of Colfer's other books, then you already know to expect some first-class character-driven storytelling, and this one does not disappoint. Meg is a bit more blank slate than normal, but that's not to say she's completely devoid of character. She's kind of a standard rebel teen, mouthing off and using humor and sarcasm to get through tough situations. But as she gets closer to Lowrie, she slowly opens up so we can see more of where she comes from. Not the most unique or fleshed-out protagonist I've seen from Colfer, but serviceable for the story, and fun enough for younger readers to relate to.
Lowrie, on the other hand, the old man with the titular wish list, got a whole lot more backstory and characterization than one might expect in a middle-grade or young-adult novel. Whereas Meg is there for spiritual (ha) and a bit of supernatural support, Lowrie is the real driving force of the story. Each wish focuses on a different failing—love, friendship/challenge, self-respect, and life-goals—and each not only opens up Lowrie as a character, through explanations and flashbacks, but also allowed me to reflect on some of my own regrets along the same themes. Guess I forgot to heed the warnings from when I read this in my youth, huh?
And of course what Colfer story would be complete without its villains? Though I'll admit that I wasn't as enamored as in other books. The villains overall seemed more intent with doing their job than actually having a personal stake against Meg. Even Belch, who at least knew her before death and had a grudge against her getting a better afterlife than him, eventually suffered enough brain damage that his motivation became more of 'don't get zapped' than actually besting her. It actually gave Meg and Lowrie more agency in their journeys, setting themselves up as their own obstacles in a way, which really worked for a story about overcoming regrets. Still, I did enjoy the baddies and their unrelenting snark, especially Bub's scenes with Peter (which had a strong Good Omens-y feel to them) and Myishi.
(Props to those who recognize the name as the tech genius who also appears in The Fowl Twins series. I swear, I had no idea that he appeared in both books. Talk about a fun tie-in. I also loved the nod to the fae with his ELPH invention, which definitely stole the best baddie award in this book.)
On the religious front, this book is bound to ruffle feathers just for depicting Satan, Beelzebub, and the afterlife in general, especially St. Peter's rather lax rules for entering through the pearly gates. Honestly, religion itself isn't mentioned even once. Jesus, Christianity, baptism, or any other tenets of modern religion aren't requirements at all for Peter to pass you on through. I suppose that was probably what I clung to as a kid: that one's afterlife didn't rely on believing the right thing, or attending enough church, but rather your actions dictated your final placement. Granted, some plus or minus points seemed rather pedantic in the grand scheme of things (like kicking someone who was attacking you?), but I guess I can let that slide for the story overall.
Now a complaint and a warning for my fellow digital readers out there: As I mentioned at the start, I picked up the e-book (Kindle) version from my library to celebrate their long-awaited acquisition of it. Unfortunately, I think I'd have been better off sticking with my hard copy. There were numerous errors with dialog breaks, having two people's spoken text within the same paragraph of each other, as well as having random new paragraphs begin in the middle of a person's speech, even when it was just 2 lines. I also had a hard time with a lack of clear breaks between narrator changes. Like, we'd be following Meg one line, then suddenly switch to Belch the next with no ellipses or page break or anything. I understand this is an older book, from all the way back in 2000, but couldn't some more care be taken in digitizing it?
Overall, The Wish List is simultaneously one of the shortest, simplest, and more heavily layered stories from Colfer's catalog. Though stories about heaven versus hell often feature larger-than-life characters, world-changing consequences, and battles of epic proportions, Colfer instead treats us to a small story about the importance of human connections, living life as best we can, and letting our actions speak for us. For those interested, I'd suggest finding a physical copy due to the errors I mentioned plaguing the digital, but that being said, I do highly recommend picking it up regardless. Simple enough for younger readers to enjoy, but with plenty of themes that older folks will cling to as well, this one is an easy recommendation for nearly anyone's list.
No comments :
Post a Comment
Let me hear you howl!