A Northern Light

I should start by saying I enjoyed A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly. I've read it before, and quite liked and recommended it. Donnelly has given us a strong but flawed heroine, a beautifully detailed historical setting, and a realistic presentation of societal issues.

That being said, I really struggled with a presentational issue. In writing, we have a term called “the hand of the author”. This is when a literary device or technique attracts enough attention that the reader is pulled out of the story and is able to see the hand of the author in the story. This, I felt, was true of Donnelly's use of the vocabulary words at the beginning of chapters. I see the value: built-in vocab for teachers, subtle education for readers, etc. I also see the value in the characterization of Mattie as a studious, intelligent young woman. However, when the reader sees something like this, he or she is reminded that this is a story by someone who loves words, thus being reminded that this is a story. This reminder is particularly unfortunate given the richness of the setting created.

A rule exists among writers: don't write about writers. It's the classic narcissism inherent in any artistic endeavor. We artists love and loathe ourselves so deeply that to put ourselves on the page or canvas is a constant temptation. Usually the reader/viewer doesn't know. Only my readers who know me are able to pick out the personal characteristics I have used in my writing. However, any reader can tell you one thing about any writer: the writer loves words. The writer loves to write. The writer has probably loved these things throughout his or her life. Therefore, any story about a writer suddenly becomes an exercise in psychoanalysis.

Of course, in writing, as in most areas of life, rules are made to be broken.

With this in mind, I'm glad Donnelly broke the rule. I struggled with it, and I even struggled with writing this post. I worried that I was being too picky, that Donnelly gave us a wonderful story, a well-written historical fiction of tremendous value to young readers and I was just nit-picking. Then I realized I was trying to coddle young adult fiction, which would be a slap in the face to one of the basic tenets of judging young adult fiction: is it good literature? In the case of A Northern Light, this is good literature. We have believable and flawed and sympathetic characters. We have stories that don't necessarily end happily. We have a rich setting. We have historical accuracy. We have characters that love words and language and education so deeply that they would do anything to pursue their passion and for this, I accept Donnelly's rule-breaking.

Donnelly, Jennifer. A Northern Light. Orlando: Graphia, 2004. Print.