Grace by Elizabeth Scott is classified as a young adult novel, but don’t let that fool you; there’s much wisdom in its pages for older audiences, as well. It is the story of Grace, a teenage girl who has seen devastation to last a lifetime. If you’ve ever felt pressured to follow certain life decisions, you will surely relate to Grace. Her predetermined destiny, however, is more morbid than we could ever claim ours to be: a suicide terrorist. She is desperate to escape this destiny and write her own, and this book is about her attempt to do just that.
The narration is from Grace’s perspective and is often conducted through flashbacks. The words are sparse, yet emotionally loaded, and the chapters are short and abrupt. I will note that if you’re someone who’s easily irked by a story that jumps around frequently and requires more attention than usual, I’m not so sure this book is for you.
Grace holds you in suspense throughout the entire story. There are many secrets that slowly unravel and start to piece together, eventually uniting in a very satisfying way. This is especially true of Kerr, Grace’s mysterious companion on this journey to freedom. Scott can fill your heart with tension and fear for the main characters until she sees fit to replace it with hope and serenity. It’s almost as if we’re experiencing the ongoing conflict in our hearts as we read about the one between the two fictional societies in the novel. While the novel wasn’t based off an existing oppressive society and terrorist group, it strikes conceptual similarities with those that do exist.
The story is deeply philosophical, because it compels you to consider what freedom means to you, what you’d be willing to do for it, and if you could live with the decisions you’ve made afterwards. It is about children forced to lose their innocence in horrible ways, about having the courage to create your own destiny, and about seeing the dignity in others. I feel as if these themes are things that we can all personally examine, even if it’s not within the extreme context of terrorism, fundamentalism, and the havoc they wreak on societies.
“Life is about being alive. It is about living. … I will leave the beliefs I was told were true behind. I will find ones that will show me how to hold life gently. That will teach me to respect others and not see them as less than human.”
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all have the courage and wisdom to do the same?
If you like Elizabeth Scott, see also: Sharon Creech.
Zey to Zey Life 