When I picked up The Panopticon, by Jenni Fagan, the cover and the description on the inside flap of the book made it sound like a psychological thriller: a teenaged Scottish orphan "is an anonymous part of an experiment, and she always was. Now it seems that the experiment is closing in." It made me think of Stephen King or, to go old school, I Am the Cheese by Robert Cormier. Unfortunately, the book was not what I thought it would be. The "experiment" is just what Anais calls the hands of fate, or the powers that be, that seem to be conspiring to make her life in and out of foster care and group homes a living hell. Her struggles with drugs, police and a lack of identity have plagued her from a young age, and the novel details how she survives, bruised and scarred, and eventually tries to reinvent herself. It is a fine book, compelling as a story of realistic fiction, but when I was expecting one genre and got a totally different one, I was disappointed. It's like when you gulp from a glass expecting water and instead it's milk . . .neither drink tastes bad, but you're surprised and a little put off. I'd recommend this book for anyone who likes to read about survivors of dysfunctional families or drug abuse. The cast of characters is moving and heartbreaking, starting with Anais and her now-dead adoptive mother Theresa, a prostitute with a big heart. The friends that Anais makes at Panopticon, the group home she's placed in while under investigation for assault on a police officer, are diverse and interesting. There are several wildly imaginative trippy scenes, some literal that result from drug us and others more profound as Anais tries to understand her place in the world. One challenge to reading the book is the Scottish slang, which you can usually figure out from the context. The bigger issue is the Scottish dialect, words like "cannae" for cannot, "tae" for "to" and "dinnae" for don't. It took some getting used to. In addition, there is generous use of the f--- word so if that offends, then this book is not for you. There is also one brutal rape scene that could disturb some readers.
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AuthorMrs. McHugh is a librarian and instructional technology specialist. She loves talking books and pop culture with her students at Hanover High School. Archives
February 2024
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