I don't remember why I came across this book. It's been sitting on my bedroom floor for about two weeks and last night I opened it up for the first time. After reading it, I am now wondering why I left it on the floor for so long. Was I crazy? Well most likely, lazy and it was hidden under my pile of clothes. I'm not going to bore you with a summary. That's what a product description is for. I really liked this book and now it's sitting on my bookshelf along with the other keepers in my collection.
I really enjoyed Bacigalupi's writing style. The story was laced with descriptions and it was consistant. They weren't abstract descriptions or lazy descriptions either. They were short and to the point. "Bright tropic sunlight and ocean salt breezes bathed him." As a reader, you get an idea of where Nailer was at. The place he lived just based on this description. There was no need to mention a sandy beach lined with tropical plants. The details were short and they still maintianed an imagery that set both tone and setting.
I didn't know what I was getting into when I started reading this book, but I knew pretty soon once I began reading. A futuristic post-industrial almost dystopic setting was here. Yes, there is a slight hint to be enviormentally friendly but that wasn't the point of the story. It annoys me when people says that's what the book represents (based on a small factor of a book). Ship Breaker is about Nailer, the protaganist of the story. It's about his life, his way of life, his beliefs, and how something and someone from outside of his world alters and changes his perception. Ship Breaker is about being human (in regards to Nailer). It's reinforced by the character Tool in the book. It's not a romance. It's not an adventure. Though there are elements of those in this book that's not what this book is about. To some it seems like Bacigalupi has no idea what he wants from his story but I think they are just confused as they are basing this book with other books, (P.S. I absolutely hate that. Don't do that. Read a book and based it on its own merits, not along side another.) or missed the reoccuring hints and themes from the situations in the story. It's not surprising for two people to start liking one another when they have to completely trust the other, especailly with their lives, and just because there are moments like this does not mean the author wanted to make it a romance novel and then didn't know how to expand from there. It happens. Could happen. And it did in Ship Breaker. Plus it was not the focus of the story and it didn't happen within seeing each other, in unbelievable circumstances.
The pacing of the story was done well also. The first few pages set the tone of the story, introducing us to the lives of Nailer and those around him. You get to know these people's hard lives, the mentaility to live in such a place, and what they do to survive. The pace picks up soon after and really doesn't stop from there. Again and again, the book questions decisions and what it means for the person making those decision. Do they reflect who that person is or do they create that person to who he is now?
I have seen one review where is states that this book is unoriginal. Where else is there a book about a shipbreaker in a dystopian world? Where is this unorginality you speak of? You strip a story to its core and it reeks of unoriginality. If you are to inspect every story and poke and prod it to be an original story, every story would cower and hide in shame. It's how an author approaches the story with its characters. I have not seem many Nailers around. Or Nitas. Or Primas. Yes, Nailer is fighting for survival like many other people in a dystopian world, but unlike those other books, we get to see why and how Nailer acts the way he does. It's not just a race or run for survival. We come to understand him and those characters around him, understanding why they act they way they do and belive in the things they do. ( I hate reviews who say `there's nothing original about this book' without any backed reasons... you are entitled to your opinions but back them up. Saying something like that and leaving it as it stands shows you have no back bone and is merely stating something to be obnoxious and heard.)
Verdict: Great story and great characters. Definately one to own.
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It's a high quality book with an amazing story. I couldn't stop reading it.
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