For the last few weeks I have been reading the novel 'How I Live Now' by Meg Rosoff. It is a novel that was on the Leaving Cert booklist last year and we were told in English class to start reading books off the list, so I began with this one!!
The plot of the novel began with Daisy being sent off by her stepmother to live with cousins in England that she barely knew. Her world was turned upside down when her aunt went to work in Oslo and Daisy and her cousins were left on their own to look after themselves. But Daisy didn't realise that when she moved to England that so much would change and that she would fall in love with a person that she least expected.
There aren't too many characters in the novel but it is told from the point of view of Elizabeth(aka Daisy),a fifteen year old girl from New York. My favourite character is Daisy because there are not many more main characters and she is very brave to take on the challenges that she does. At the beginning of the second chapter we are introduced to one of Daisy's cousins,Edmond and later on his sister, Piper,his brothers Isaac and Osbert and their mother.
Various themes emerge in the novel such as war,tragedy,love and friendship. Friendship is the main theme of the novel. The friendship between Daisy and Edmond is the main relationship in the novel and the novel is mainly based on this relationship. During the war Daisy is seperated from Edmond and she does everything she can so they can be reunited even though it is dangerous and risky.
To me, the cultural context was quite confusing whilst reading the novel as Daisy uses 21st century ways of communication such as a computer and a mobile phone but later in the novel a war occurs and Daisy and her family's lives change forever. After reading the novel I discovered that the war described in this book is a fictional 21st century war and this explains why there is use of modern technology, eg mobile phone.
What is striking about the novel is how it is written through Daisy's New York view of the world and how her views change throughout the novel. For example,when Daisy's fourteen year old cousin picks her up at he airport with a cigarette in hand she says 'I don't say anything in case it's a well known fact that the smoking age in England is something like twelve and by making a big thing about it I'll end up looking like an idiot when I've barely been here five minutes.' Suspense is a technique used during the novel. It creates tension and encourages us to read further.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I would recommended it to everyone!!
