LIGHTHOUSE ISLAND by PAULETTE JILES (2013)

I was so impressed with the writing of Paulette Jiles in her 2016 novel News of the World (reviewed in September) that I ordered a couple of her older books. This 2013 novel is likewise vibrantly and poetically written. It is a bit disappointing, however, in that it also has a very similar plot structure. One thus assumes from the beginning that it will have a similar happy ending, causing any suspense to be missing. The plot, which is of a journey through dangers and chaos toward a safe haven, is, of course, not unique to Jiles, originating probably with The Odyssey and being used time and again since. It would have been refreshing if Jiles could have utilized another stock plot, just for variety's sake.

This is a dystopian novel of the future United States, when dense and extensive cities have covered most of the country, and the majority of the people are employed by the vast governing bureaucracy. Those individuals who don't fit in, who criticize the government, or who are denounced by someone wanting their job are sent to forced labor on work farms. The book's heroine, Nadia Stepan, is denounced, so she goes on the run, attempting to escape to the Pacific Northwest to Lighthouse Island, a sparsely populated and natural area which she has only seen on the ubiquitous television. Her danger-filled journey is the center of the story.

The simplistic plot and the addition of a love interest give the novel something of a Young Adult feel, but it is rescued from being just another YA Dystopia by the originality and beauty of the language. I wish that Paulette Jiles had the plotting talent to match her talent with words.