*trigger warning: eating disorders
‘It would be much easier to tell this story if it were all about a chaste and perfect love between Two Children Against The World At An Extreme Time In History but let’s face it that would be a load of crap. The real truth is that the war didn’t have much to do with it except that it provided a perfect limbo in which two people who were too young and too related could start kissing without anything or anyone making us stop.’
How I Live Now is narrated by 15-year-old Daisy. The story begins with Daisy being sent away from her home in the US by her father and step-mother to stay with her aunt, and her four cousins on a farm in the English countryside. She has never met these relatives before, and Daisy is in for a bit of a culture shock; life in rural England couldn’t be more different from the bustling streets of New York. Soon after Daisy begins to settle into her new life, Aunt Penn has to leave for Oslo to assist with peace negotiation, as a third world war is imminent. However, when all the airports close, Aunt Penn is stranded, and the five children are left completely alone. At first, they enjoy their newfound freedom, and make the most of their idyllic surroundings. These circumstances also enable Daisy to begin a sexual relationship with her 14-year-old cousin Edmond, which they keep a secret from the other children. However, reality soon sets in when rationing begins, and news of terrorist attacks reaches the youngsters. Later, the farm is overtaken by the Army, the boys are split up from the girls, and they are sent off to live in separate locations. Daisy and Piper eventually escape from their new home and journey to be reunited with the others.
I decided to read this book because the war premise piqued my interest (and it had been sitting on my bookshelf for forever!). At this point in time, I had no idea that this book, which is aimed at young teenagers, contained incestuous underage sex and some graphic descriptions of violence. I went in with a fairly open mind. However, I didn’t really enjoy reading this book, for reasons which I will now go into.
Firstly, I wasn’t a fan of the book’s narrative style. I get what Rosoff was aiming for: the feeling that a young teenage girl was telling her own story to the reader with exuberance, leaving few pauses for breath. However, the run-on sentences, lack of punctuation, all-capitalised sentences, and greatly overused capitalization of words intended to create a tongue-in-cheek effect grated on me. As an unreliable narrator, Daisy reveals precious little about things that don’t interest her, like the war. As a result, so little is disclosed about the war that it feels very unconvincing. The few violent incidents are well-done. By the end of the book, we still have no idea who the enemy is, or why the war started. The details we do know are few and far between: the water supply has been poisoned, there have been bombings, rationing is in place, people have been killed yada yada yada… Too much is left to the imagination. I feel like the absence of details is counterproductive, for it means that a climate of fear is never really, or convincingly established.
Secondly, the characters in this book are incredibly forgettable. Daisy, the narrator, is unlikable, irritating, self-absorbed, and petulant. Her character felt empty, and she was never someone who I could really connect with. I also didn’t like the portrayal of Daisy’s anorexia. The portrayal of anorexia in this book felt trivialising, for Daisy refuses to eat in order to spite her step-mother. As such, this book gives the impression that anorexia is when juvenile individuals decide not to eat to get one over on others, as opposed to a very serious mental illness which ruins people’s lives. Daisy prides herself on how little she eats, which doesn’t send a positive message to young, impressionable (and most likely female) readers. Rosoff does suggest that Daisy struggles to perform physical tasks because of her eating disorder. However, this is the only repercussion which Rosoff highlights. I feel like if you want to have a protagonist that has anorexia, don’t just chuck in this detail for the sake. Treat the subject matter with the sensitivity and care it deserves, and be very attentive to the message you are sending, especially if your work is primarily targeted at young people.
Little is revealed about the cousins, who are also thinly drawn characters. All we really learn about Edmond is the fact that he is a ‘cool’ 14-years-old who smokes and talks about death with his underage, sexually active cousin. Osbert, the eldest, is uptight and self-important. Isaac never does or says anything memorable. The youngest cousin, Piper, is the most likeable; she is sweet, has a way with animals, and enjoys foraging in the countryside for food. That being said, this is the full extent of her characterisation, and she is too angelic to be particularly compelling. Daisy’s preoccupation with Edmond prevents the reader from really getting to know any of the other characters. As I couldn’t get to know any of the characters, I couldn’t really care about them either. Daisy and Edmond were not protagonists I could get invested in. I was repulsed by their incestuous relationship. Luckily, readers are spared most of the details (typical Daisy). Why did Rosoff have to make them cousins?! I get that she was trying to hone in the point that wartime facilitates different relationships to peacetime, however, she could have conveyed this message in a much less disturbing way. The inclusion of an underage incestuous relationship just didn’t feel it was necessary. I felt uncomfortable reading about it as an adult, so I definitely don’t think this is suitable reading for twelve or thirteen-year-olds. Moreover, we learn very little about Daisy and Edmond throughout the course of the book, even though Daisy is the narrator! As I wasn’t rooting for Daisy and Edmond to be reunited, the majority of the plot felt redundant. I was genuinely more interested in the various animals throughout the story (who doesn’t love two sheepdogs and a pet goat?!) than I was by the main characters.
My enjoyment picked up when reading the middle section of the book, which focuses on Piper and Daisy’s journey to be reunited with their other cousins (finally a break from reading about underage sex, woohoo!). I began to connect with their characters a bit more, and it felt like the book was finally building up to some consequential moment. The barn massacre scene was shocking and effective. However, the ending fell a bit flat and was somewhat predictable. I wanted something more surprising, that would make me say ‘I didn’t see that coming.’
Overall, I feel that there are much better books out there that deal with the subject matter of war, and/or teenage love. I would rate this book 2.5 stars out of 5. Although I found this book decidedly lacklustre, How I Live Now has won multiple awards, and many reviews I read absolutely raved about it. It's even studied on one of the final year English modules offered at my university. Therefore, the book is evidently popular with some people (just not with me!)
(I didn't want to include a photo of teenagers kissing or something war-related but nonetheless wanted some topical photos. So enjoy these images of two gorgeous dogs, a happy baby goat, and a chicken wearing a party hat - infinitely better options in my opinion!)
