Very Far Away From Anywhere Else
by Ursula Le Guin
1976
Atheneum Books
New York
ISBN: 0689305257
Plot Summary:
Owen and Natalie attend the same school but are strangers, Owen immersed in his scientific ideas, Natalie in her music. All that changes suddenly one day on the bus, and though the attraction is immediate for Owen, the friendship develops slowly, after many talks and walks.
Because of the depth of their affinity for each other, Owen begins to believe that their friendship should evolve into love. Natalie does not see it this way, however,and Owen's attempts at transforming the friendship end up altering their lives in other, unpredicted ways.
Critical Evaluation:
An incredibly rich book that plumbs the depth of ambiguities concerning the need to be loved and the pressures to couple with another. Owen is satisfied with his friendship with Natalie, until he begins to absorb conventional expectations (something he refused to consider previously). He convinces himself that their friendship should move into romance, because that is the way things are supposed to be. Le Guin details this unconvincing jump with a gentleness and intuitiveness that does more than just describe Owen, forcing the reader to reflect on her own expectations and assumptions.
Further, Owen's subsequent depression is revealed with a subtle quietude, reflecting feelings more often explained in torrents and shouts. Owen's struggles are incredibly affecting, Very Far Away From Anywhere Else is a heartbreaking, incredibly moving story.
Reader's Annotation:
Owen and Natalie are two unique "smart kids," finishing high school and preparing for the movement out into a world of possibility. Their unexpected friendship changes their expectations of themselves, and the world outside of them.
Author Info:
Ursula Le Guin is a prolific and award-winning science fiction writer. In addition, she has written essays, children's literature, and short, realistic fiction.
The majority of her science fiction novels are categorized according to a series based on alternative planets and worlds.
Genre:
Romance/ Realist YA fiction
Reader Level/ Interest Age:
Printed through a children's literature imprint; however, the mature emotional themes will provide a wonderful read for any age.
Booktalking Ideas:
*Is Natalie as sure of her feelings and ambitions as she asserts herself to be?
*Is Owen's depression a result of his thwarted feelings for Natalie?
*Can musical ability or scientific expertise supercede and even replace the need for love?
Challenges:
The tale is quietly told, with little overt action and zero explicitness. Challenges are foreseeably nonexistent.
Why Include?:
I have always been an admirer of the diversity found in Le Guin's body of work. I was unaware that she had also written specifically for young adults, and was eager to discover the results.
