Book Review: “Alis”

By Naomi Rich
Viking, 2009

Reviewed by Catalina Bonati, 15
Chile

Alis by Naomi Rich is set in an undated time in a dark, gloomy world where the Maker's will and the rules of the Book cannot be defied. However, Alis certainly is one to defy when she is strictly obliged to marry someone thrice her age. She decides to run away, setting off a chain of events wherever her feet touch ground. She soon realizes she's not safe wherever she goes, so she decides to return and consent to the marriage. Her marriage then sets off its own chain of events that eventually lead her to be accused of a crime of which she is innocent.

This is a book about independence (as Alis wants to live the world by her own rules), and growing up, since she wishes she were a child that would not have to submit to marriage and have a man touch her. Although her dilemma is thought-provoking, Alis' reluctance to sleep with a man is too exaggerated to be believable.

The "Book" and the "Maker" are clearly inspired by the Christian bible and God, and the story plots are not unlike Oliver Twist. The book has layers after layers of plot, characters, and different scenes. Luckily, it's written with easy-to-follow, descriptive words. To involve such a twisted and complicated story with a religious base is an audacious move for a first-timer like Naomi Rich. The story never goes too fast or too slow; the pace it covers is just right, and the ended in unexpected. Alis is a twisted, gloomy book about a girl's coming of age and the consequences it brings.