Have I established
that I have a soft spot for books
that celebratethe
powerof
books? OK then. I have another for you, this time in
the fantasy genre: Ursula K Le Guin’s Voices. Le Guin is
best known for her elegant Earthsea cycle, and while this
story isn’t of quite the same caliber as Earthsea, it is
still a powerful and thought-provoking book.
Ansul, a once
peaceful and educated city that is part of the timeless and
fictitious Western Shore, has spent the past seventeen years under a
harsh occupation. The Alds are cruel and violent, and they have
forbidden reading and writing, which they consider corrupt acts of
demon-worship. Memer, a child of the rapes that occurred when the
city fell, lives full of hatred and craves revenge against the city’s
oppressors.
Things change for
Memer when the city’s prior leader teaches her how to read and
shows her the city’s hidden library. The stories give her hope
and purpose. When a foreign poet and his wife appear, Memer learns
the power of the stories they bring, and of the poetry and legends
she has learned in her own study.
She also learns to
better understand the complexity and humanity of her oppressors. As
the words of the poets encourage the people to rebel, Memer and her
mentors use their heritage and the power of their words to bring
change without losing a core part of their identity in hatred and
vengeance.
Memer’s voice
is authentic, and her character development rang true. Memer
understandably held a lot of hatred in her heart, and releasing
hatred is complicated and messy. As she interacts with the Alds as
part of her friendship with the poet, she doesn’t have big
epiphany moments where she suddenly sees their humanity and instantly
forgives and loves them. As she starts to understand their motivation
and humanity, she often still feels anger and lashes out. But as time
progresses, she learns that accomplishing the greater good is more
complicated than establishing who is right and punishing who is
wrong. While there is certainly cruelty and prejudice in the Alds,
there are also noble traits where the two cultures can find common
ground and work towards peace.
I should note that
Memer’s city was thoroughly ravaged, and rape and sexual
slavery were a part of this. There aren’t any graphic
descriptions, but it is a frequent presence in the book, so be wary
if you have a sensitivity about sexual abuse.
Pagan worship is
also a central part of this book. There’s nothing overtly
anti-Christian about it, but the deities do have the power to act in
this story, so if the idea of the main characters worshipping and
receiving blessings from multiple fictitious Gods makes you
uncomfortable, you’ll probably want to steer clear of Le Guin’s
work.
Voices is the
second book in the Annals of the Western Shore series, but it stands
alone. While characters from this book appear in other parts of the
series, this story is thoroughly Memer’s – her path from
anger and violence to wisdom and power.
Read this book if…
You like your
fantasy to have a timeless feel, rather than a futuristic one.
It just seems too
tidy to you when there’s an epic battle, the oppressor
retreats, and suddenly the world is perfect. The peace that Ansul
finds is a realistic one, full of compromises and diplomacy.
You like books that look darkness and destruction in the face, but
show the importance of hope and the capacity to rebuild.
Erin
Cowles is a mother of two, living in the Washington D.C. suburbs.
Before motherhood, she used her masters in library and information
science in a law firm library. Now she uses it to find good books for
her family at her local public library. She teaches part time for a
SAT prep company, where she enjoys the challenge of making rather
dull subject matter interesting and making college a reality for her
students. During women's history month, she profiles Mormon women
that inspire her at ldswomenshistory.blogspot.com.
Erin
currently serves as a counselor in her ward's primary
presidency.