Vital Reading: Reviewing Malorie Blackman’s ‘Noughts and Crosses’

Disclaimer: In this review, I attempt to discuss the endings to Blackman’s book and the BBC One adaptation as vaguely as possible to avoid spoilers. However, if (like me!) you are someone that hates anything that comes close to a spoiler, potentially avoid this blog post or come back to it at a later date after having read Blackman’s book.

Malorie Blackman’s highly-acclaimed novel Noughts and Crosses (the first book in her award-winning series) offers a fresh way of examining race. In the novel, history is flipped on its head; Europe has been colonised by Africa (‘Aprica’) and the black Crosses are the ruling class in Albion. They oppress the white underclass of Noughts. Young adults Sephy (Persephone) Hadley and Callum McGregor narrate alternating chapters throughout. Sephy is a Cross and the daughter of one of the most powerful politicians in the country. She forms a childhood friendship with Callum - a Nought – as his mother is employed by the Hadley family. When Callum’s mother is fired, ties are severed between the two households. However, Sephy and Callum maintain their friendship by continuing to meet up in secret. As their friendship gradually develops into romantic love, the two protagonists strive to find a way to be together despite interracial relationships being forbidden, and racial tensions growing increasingly fraught.

One of the great strengths of this novel is its narrative style. Alternating between Sephy and Callum’s perspectives enables the reader to assume an intimate proximity to both protagonists. Moreover, Blackman’s characters have both context and dimension, meaning the reader can understand why they think and behave as they do. On Blackman’s website, she states that you ‘don’t necessarily have to sympathise with everything the main characters do’ but she hopes that readers will be able to ‘understand what motivates and […] drives them,’ even if you disagree with their ultimate choices. Like many readers, I was quite shocked by Sephy’s decision at the end of the book. However, upon reflection, concluding the book in this way is entirely necessary. Much of the book’s impact relies upon its ending, and although the reader may disagree with Sephy’s choice or be upset by it, they are able to understand it given the social context.

Another thing I especially like about this novel is its accessibility. Although primarily targeted at young adults, this book will speak to adults of any age. Blackman’s writing is very apt for our current social climate, as she draws attention to many issues facing ethnic minorities today including discrimination in policing, stereotyping, unequal access to education, healthcare, employment, legal protection, and positions of authority. This book is also likely to appeal to a wide audience because it encompasses numerous genres, including romance, dystopian/speculative fiction, action and adventure, and the ‘coming of age’ narrative. So please don’t be put off if you’re not sold that this book will appeal to you. I was slightly sceptical but I found that I couldn’t put the book down due to its fast pace and unpredictable, engaging plot.

I also want to offer my thoughts on the 6-part BBC One adaptation, Noughts + Crosses, which aired in March 2020 and is still available on iPlayer for a couple more months. Although this adaptation preserves the basic premise of the book, viewers expecting the series to ‘remain faithful’ to it may be disappointed. The adaptation deviates widely from the book’s plot, with a few relatively major characters being omitted, and various new characters being added. I must admit that I am someone who tends to be bitterly disappointed when adaptations diverge widely from the text they are based on. That being said, I would rate this adaptation highly. It is fast-paced, lively, and will hold your attention.

A real strong point of the show is its solid building of tension. An atmosphere of genuine danger and the threat of violence pervades, which helps stress how difficult it would be for Callum and Sephy to sustain their interracial friendship. The show begins with a powerful confrontation between Jude McGregor and supercilious, baton-wielding Cross policemen. This altercation results in one of Jude’s closest friends being hospitalised and phone footage of the violent attack going viral, sparking outrage and widespread social unrest. The show’s formidable antagonists help maintain the atmosphere of suspense, including the scheming politician Kamal Hadley (father of Sephy) and Sephy’s unpredictable and thuggish boyfriend Lekan.

This adaptation draws particular attention to Callum’s predicament about attending the elite Cross military academy, Mercy Point. The relentless racist bullying Callum endures from his black peers contributes to his eventual decision to leave, demonstrating how equal access to education is not enough in and of itself unless it is coupled with the deconstruction of entrenched prejudices. I appreciate how this adaptation also shows the other side of the coin. Callum’s decision to attend the academy alienates him from his own community, as many Noughts are either jealous that he was accepted or feel he has betrayed them by attending a formerly all-black institution.

Various reviews have criticised the rapid pace of the protagonists’ romance in this adaptation. Although I sympathise with this criticism, I think this can be forgiven given that the series is only six episodes long and had a lot of ground to cover. Ellen Jones from The Guardian states that the ‘characters don’t have the complexity and nuance to match its world-building.’ I somewhat agree with this. Filming took place in Cape Town, and due to the wonderful costuming, hairstyling, accessories, and architecture, the city feels live-in, vibrant and brimming with distinctly ‘African’ culture. In hindsight, I agree that Callum and Sephy’s characters in the adaptation fall a bit flat, although the fact that I watched the series very soon after reading Blackman’s novel might have led to me overlooking this at the time.

I must admit that I was a bit disappointed with the series’ ending. I somewhat naively thought that the adaptation would end in the same way Blackman’s book did, and as such was eager to see how they would dramatize one of the most heart-wrenching moments in the novel. I understand why they chose to make the ending to the adaptation more ambiguous (and I would argue more positive than the book’s ending), given that the programme is likely to attract relatively young viewers. That being said, I cannot help but feel that some of the potency of Blackman’s novel is lost by concluding the programme in this way. I maintain that the series would have been stronger with the original ending from the book.

I would rate both Blackman’s book and the BBC One adaptation 4/5 stars, although I do prefer the book.

In the wake of George Floyd’s death, and with the Black Lives Matter movement gaining traction, it is great to see so many people eager to educate themselves more about racism. As such, Blackman’s novel makes for especially pertinent reading. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a thought-provoking read about the legacy of slavery, and about how race impacts the way we live and think today.

I will also be linking a very useful website that offers suggestions of ways to help the Black Lives Matter movement, including petitions you can sign for free, ways you can donate, locations of protests, and various educational resources. Please check it out if you are interested: {https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/}

Linked below is another great resource for those who want to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement. It is a google document which includes ways to donate, petitions, recommended reading, speeches, and much more.

{https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sbmCgvPcjhZRn-2WFpYjSBwj7qVOgpdEHJM-ejyLb-s/mobilebasic?fbclid=IwAR0VWLGaLBDuDJZhHXpI6ZfWGh43JU7dak9v3Xks13e61M6ysfl_POC3qp0ost}