Review: 2012 - Just the beginning!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 21, 2010
This novel is frightening, poignant, intelligent, and disturbing. I couldn't possibly be more impressed. The first thing I should say is this: the author had many opportunities for this story to become tedious and boring with too many facts; after all, she has 'built' a world war (based on realistic ideas that are plaguing the world as we sit at our computers right now). But this story never became tedious or boring. I found myself marveling at the brilliance of this writer to give so much detail and still keep it interesting and moving forward. There was a major risk of alienating readers with the continuing build up of what was going on around the world with the Islamist movement, but it just built up more suspense and dread as the story moved along.It is written in the first person - a challenge on its own, especially in such a detailed and driven story. The main character is engaging and human and it is impossible not to root for her at every stage. Something that I truly appreciated throughout the story was the connection between the main character and Ann Frank. At first I thought Francisco would have a difficult time making a clear and useful connection with Ann Frank, but my concern was proven wrong. This connection was deeply important and gives much meaning to the story. It is another world war, and the main character is very human, lonely (even though she is always surrounded by people), driven to care about others and her family, and the main character is somewhat nave, just as Frank would have been, considering her age.I found several quotes from the novel to be compelling: "I wonder why it is no one ever seems to learn lessons from history, particularly from war" (Francisco). Another important quote is: "War restricts choice. Restricted choice makes love fiercer, more precious. War makes love worth dying for, love makes it possible to fight" (Francisco). These two quotes show a truly profound understanding of the meanings behind this story. A third quote states: "Someday we will tremble in horror at the tens of thousands of innocent Muslims who have been killed. Now it only feels necessary and inevitable." When we consider what is taking place around the world in regard to Muslim thoughts and how Christians (and other religions) feel about Muslim thoughts, it is a chilling realization that one day we will look back and wonder how we could have considered certain actions to be 'okay' and even necessary, in the name of security... just like there are many Germans who wonder how they could have given approval to the Holocaust at the time, and how people during all wars justified the inevitable devastation all in the name of their beliefs - even though they were justifying the deaths of innocents. In sum, this novel makes you think about what we are willing to say 'okay' to... this novel will leave the reader chilled and deeply embroiled in self-contemplation regarding what we are willing to do and approve of for our beliefs.I eagerly await the next novel by this clearly gifted writer!!!