Wasteland (Hardcover)

by Francesca Lia Block (Author) "WE KEEP BURNING in the brown smog pit..." (more)
Key Phrases: Brent Fisher, Jeff Glasser, Marty Fallbrook (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up-Block once again tackles the theme of love and its many variations. This time, she zeroes in on the ultimate taboo: incestuous love. Though Marina and her brother, Lex, struggle against their powerful love and attendant sexual attraction, the force is too strong to be denied. Readers will fear for them as their situation slowly but inexorably propels them toward their ultimate union, and, by extension, to Lex's suicide. It is a double tragedy, because Marina later learns that her brother was adopted. While Block's prose is as poetic and lush as always, her narrative shifts may confuse less sophisticated readers. It's not immediately clear that the italicized portions are from Lex's journal, and chapters switch abruptly from Marina's voice to third person. Also, while parental flakes aren't unusual in Block's fiction, readers may have a difficult time buying into the mother's reason for not telling her children about the adoption. Still, Block might reach a larger audience with this book; it does not stray too far from her characteristic terrain, but is set in a more realistic neighborhood than her otherworldly Shangri-L.A.
Catherine Ensley, Latah County Free Library District, Moscow, ID
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 9-12. Teenage Lex and his sister, Marina, have been close since early childhood, always there for each other. But when their love intensifies during a sexual encounter one night, both are racked with guilt. Lex kills himself; Marina tries to carry on with the support of a friend who loves her and knows that her brother did, too. There have been several recent YA books about incest, but what distinguishes this small poetic novel is its quiet. There's no sexual violence, no abuse. In the siblings' short, alternating monologues to each other, the word you is an endearment as each teen remembers growing up with a beloved sibling who was mother, father, friend, and child. The young people remember the small physical facts of their childhood together, the tenderness of Marina's baby hand clasped around Lex's finger; the laughter, then darkness. A plot surprise at the end seems patched on, and a long quote from T. S. Eliot's "Wasteland" may be beyond many readers. It's Block's simple, beautiful words that reveal the loving connection--and then the fragments. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (November 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006028644X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060286446
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #893,996 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A wisp of a book, June 27, 2004

By	bonsai chicken (United States) - See all my reviews

This is the third book I've read by this author. One of the things I admire about her work is the way she writes about sensitive issues while completely avoiding any kind of reactionary attitude. This particular story involves a subject which, while entirely consensual, carries a heavy societal taboo. The matter of fact way in which it is handled is refreshing.

Siblings Marina and Lex have always been very close, so close that they have always had trouble finding interest in any others. One night things go too far and shortly afterward Lex takes his own life. Marina is left to deal with the loss of the only person who ever really mattered to her.

I've enjoyed Block's novels in the past, although they tend to evaporate from memory soon after I close them. 'Wasteland' was even more ethereal, seeming insubstantial even as I was reading it. Much of the story is told by Marina, as if she were speaking to her brother, reminiscing about the times they had together, and far too much of it is rambling, directionless, and inconsequential, and tedious to read through. There are a couple subplots generated but never followed through. Only a revelation at the end gives the book any impact. A mild disappointment.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An emotionally rich novel., July 26, 2004

By	Teenreads.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Incest is one of those subjects we just don't like to talk, or even think, about. In her latest novel, WASTELAND, Francesca Lia Block forces readers outside their comfort zones and into a story in which the love between a brother and sister provides both great joy and incredible anguish.

Lex and Marina have always been close. One of Lex's earliest memories was of his sister as a baby: "Then you reached out and curled your fingers around me, so tight, I knew you recognized me. That was the first time I knew I had a heart inside my body." The siblings' connections only grow deeper as they get older; Lex is obsessively protective of his baby sister, and Marina finds herself dressing and acting like Lex to ensure his acceptance of her. As they enter adolescence, both siblings become intensely aware of each other's bodies, until their attraction to each other comes to a crossroads one night.

As a result of their encounter, Lex betrays Marina and then commits suicide. Marina is torn apart by her own grief and her unanswered questions about her brother's death. She turns to Lex's friend West, who is willing to stand back while Marina searches for answers and wait for her to be able to love again.

It probably won't surprise anyone that this book is for mature teen audiences. Readers should be emotionally ready to deal with WASTELAND's complex subject matter. In addition, the rapidly switching narrators and points of view (including some chapters written from the perspective of the dead brother) require a sophisticated reader, as does the extended passage from T. S. Eliot's poem that inspired the novel's title.

One of the book's major weaknesses is the surprise ending, which is probably meant to provide dramatic irony but instead feels tacked on and unnecessary. Readers who are ready to grapple with Block's lyrical prose and challenging topic will be rewarded by an emotionally rich novel about a compelling and thought-provoking relationship.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wasteland-confusing? I think not., October 11, 2004

By	Star*Shine - See all my reviews

The traditional tragic story of unrequiented love. The twist? The object of Marina's LL (love/lust) is no other than her older brother, lex. Shocking? Maybe. Original? Defidently. Conservatives be forwarned, there is nothing shy about this book. Although the language might be percieved as "confusing" in the begining, I think of it as mysterious. What is he talking about? Where will this lead? A book you want to read agien, and believe me, the second time will be all the more satisfying. So take a break from those dishes and absorbe yourself in Blocks lush, poetic writing. You will be glad you did. -S