We are small but we are many
We are many we are small
We were here before you rose
We will be here when you fall.
Konnichiwa Hivers! It's your one and only ridgette again. It's been awhile since I shared a book review, so today I'm going to share a book review of a novel about a young explorer. She views her life and her new house as uninteresting. Her parents were also uninteresting to her; that's why she always yearned for something new and out of the ordinary. Everything that surrounds her seems bland, but something will happen, and it will really change the way she sees things.
What could it be?
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!
Coraline was the second children's horror genre novel that I've read (The Witches was the first). I really thought that this novel would be just light horror. Since I'm in seventh grade at the time, I was confident that it wouldn't scare me anymore, but yeah—I was wrong. The story was both fascinating and disturbing. The author's vivid way of writing the story really did make the story scary and, at the same time, compelling. So join me as I'll try my best to review the story of the young, brave explorer, Coraline.
About the Book
"I'm an explorer," said Coraline.
"Of course you are, luvvy," said Miss Forcible. "Don't get lost, now."
How It Started
Like any other scary novel, the story took place in a very old house. It had an attic under the roof, a cellar under the ground, and an overgrown garden with huge old trees in it. But unlike other horror stories, their family wasn't alone in that house. Besides, it was too big for them—instead, they own a part of it. Miss Spink and Miss Forcible lived on the ground floor, in the flat below Coraline's.
These two plump women were extremely friendly, and apart from exploring, Coraline spends her time eating digestive biscuits and drinking tea with these two old women. Also, above Coraline's flat, under the roof, lives an old man with a big mustache. Coraline thinks that he's crazy because he's always talking about how he was training a mouse circus. She thought that the old man was probably making it up. After meeting those people inside the house, she decided to continue her exploration. She explored outside the house, but then the next day it rained hard, and of 'course that means that she can't go outside.
She decided to approach her parents, but both of them are busy with their work on screen. She was left with no choice but to explore the house on her own. With a pen and paper, she went to explore the inside of the flat. Finding a locked, big, brown wooden door at the far corner of the drawing room made Coraline curious, so she asked her mother if she could open that door. Her mother insisted that the door go nowhere, but Coraline was persistent that it had to go somewhere.
Her mother opened it, and indeed, it doesn't go anywhere. It opened onto a brick wall, but little did they know that opening that door would be opening another house. But what house could it be?
How It Ended
Discovering that the door in the drawing room led to her other mother in their other house, Coraline was really amazed at how the other house embodied all her ideals: parents who always pay attention to her, an interesting bedroom with all sorts of remarkable things, and even ideal neighbors that perfectly recall her name. What else could she ask for? But she knew something was wrong. When her other mother asked her if she could sew black buttons for her eyes, her doubts suddenly took over.
Coraline demanded that she go back to her original house, and surprisingly, her other mother permitted her. Only that she'll be back the moment she knew her parents were missing—no scratch that, they were abducted by no other than her very own other mother. Reminiscing about her old memories with her father, Coraline braved her way towards the other house. She knew that the other mother wouldn't give her an easy way to get her parents back, but she was determined to save them at all costs.
The other mother tried to sway Coraline with her lies, but the brave explorer was able to detect those lies. The cat (not the other cat, just the cat) helped her realize what the other mother really wanted. She wanted something to love—something that she hadn't created and something that wasn't hers. The cat advised her to challenge the other mother. Her kind likes challenges, but certainly there's no guarantee that she'll play fair. Realizing that there's no other way to get her parents back, Coraline decided to take the risk.
Unfortunately, just before she was able to challenge the other mother, she angered her first, which made the other mother lock Coraline inside the cupboard. There she met the other children who once became the children of the other mother. Like her, the children once had a real house outside the other house, but unfortunately, they fell for the lies of the other mother. The other mother grew bored with them, and when she's done with them, she steals their hearts, souls, and lives. She left them all in complete oblivion and darkness.
Upon hearing this, Coraline became more motivated to win the game against her other mother. This time she didn't only want to get her parents back; she also wanted to free the souls of the children. The trials of the game were really tough and frightening. With all her courage and wits, Coraline found the souls of the children, but her parents weren't still with her. She knew that the other mother had no intention of letting her go, so with the help of the cat, they fled from her after they retrieved her parents.
Having closed the door, Coraline thought it was all over, but the other mother won't settle for defeat. Coraline was warned by the children not to trust the other mother's oath in her good right hand. They were indeed right because prowling outside Coraline's room was the five-footed, crimson-nailed other mother's right hand. And obviously, it wanted the black key. It definitely won't settle unless it gets the key to the other house.
Finally, in her final attempt to get rid of the other mother, Coraline devises a plan that would lock her away in darkness forever. Pretending to be on a picnic, Coraline brought her dolls and plastic tea party set. She placed the paper tablecloth carefully on top of the well, then put the plastic cups filled with water on the edge of the well. The trap was all set up. She then began acting, and just when she pretended that she was distracted, The white finger closed around the black key. The weight and momentum of the skittering hand sent the plastic cups flying. The paper tablecloth, together with the other mother's right hand and the key, went tumbling down into the darkness of the well.
To make sure that anything wouldn't fall in or anything wouldn't get out, Coraline hauled the heavy planks back onto the well, covering it as carefully as she could. That night was before the first day of term. Usually, Coraline was apprehensive and nervous, but she realized that there was nothing left about school that could scare her anymore. Coraline imagined her dream again—the children under the oak tree and meadow. She smiled and allowed herself to drift into slumber, while the gentle upstair music of the mouse circus filled the warm evening air, seemingly telling the world that summer was almost done.
The story was really entertaining and, at the same time, scary to read. The way the author foreshadowed that the drawing room meant danger was really astonishing. I just realized it when I read it again the second time.
"Can I go into the drawing room?" The drawing room was were the Joneses kept the expensive (and uncomfortable) furniture Coraline's grandmother had left them when she died. Coraline wasn't allowed in there. Nobody went in there. It was only for the best.
Coraline's story of curiosity and bravery was something else. Personally, I wondered: what if Coraline didn't get curious and just ignored the door in the drawing room? Would that just save her from all the trouble that she has to overcome? Then I remembered the children. Of 'course they needed someone to save them, and I knew one couldn't easily find a girl like Coraline.
I really relate well to her character because sometimes I wish I had the life I had dreamed of. The other house basically mirrored all her ideals in life, but not all your ideals are what you truly desire. Just like what Coraline said:
"I don't want whatever I want. Nobody does. Not really. What kind of fun would it be if I just got everything I ever wanted? Just like that, and it didn't mean anything. What then?"
Sometimes we fail to see what things we truly desire, and we often realize their worth when they are gone. It's sad that we mostly end up like that. We often yearn for something we think we want, not knowing that what we really want is what we already have.
The novel was really satisfying to read. It's definitely a book that can be read quickly since it isn't dragging, so with all the good stuff it has, I rate it 4.6/5.
That's all for now, bookworms! I hope you enjoyed my book review. See you again next time for my next book review—and take note, it's not spoiler-free!
