 |
| Third edition cover |
A month too late, but now it's finally read! A lot of things happened this past month, so reading was lesser prioritized, than it should have been. But here goes! This is the review of Tomorrow, When the War Began.
Ellie and Corrie came up with the great idea of going on a camping trip. Taking some guys and some girls would be good, they thought and soon it was decided that seven friends, including Ellie and Corrie, would go to the Hell. They are gone for a couple of days, but what they left wasn't what they found. At all. Now the teenagers have to try staying alive while the country is at war and their parents are locked in.
This is the first book in the Tomorrow series, written by John Marsden. I have the second book daunting me mockingly on top of the pile of books I better read before the library demands them back. Whenever I pick up the story, no matter how much time passed since I read it the last time, I get sucked into their world. It's a well written book, in other words. It has also been adapted to a film with the same name during 2009 and 2010 and was directed by Stuart Beattie, and premiered in Oceania in Septemper last year and in UK in April this year. Just as a side note, the film has, instead of Ellie writing, it as Ellie making a video log.
It's written in first person perspective by Ellie, telling the teenagers' story of how they live during an invasion by a foreign power in Australia. The enemy is trying to get the war peacefully done, but Wirrawee has been hit hard, as there's a road the enemy military puts into good use. People are killed, people do their best to survive, people steal... Reality isn't as black and white as it used to be anymore. And you get a taste of it with Ellie telling you all about it. But as reality never is, it's not just all black and grey. In the midst of all the worries and hardships, there's friendship and romance.
Ellie's the one telling you everything, and she's the main character. But we aren't just following her, but also Corrie, Robyn, Fi, Kevin, Lee and Homer. And Chris, though he appears later.
Ellie's a thinker and she questions her thoughts. She thinks about surviving, evil, good, and how it is in the nature. Is the foreign soldiers really evil? Is she evil because of the soldiers that died because of her? Why does she have all these romantic feelings in her in the midst of a war? All these question is what makes Ellie a real person. She also has issues in her love life in the midst of everything. But she is - after all - a teenager.
Homer is a childhood friend of Ellie's, and also her love interest. Homer is Greek and also very attractive. Homer is, however in love with Fi. He used to be the clown of the class, but as the situation got serious, so did he. He took the role of the leader and everyone depends on him, as they know he is right about all his suggestion and he discusses about what to do with everyone.
Lee is the son of a couple running a restaurant and he's Ellie's second love interest. In this case, the love is mutual. He's another character that hasn't actually gotten stuck in my head. he's just there, but I just seen him as Ellie's love interest.
Fi is a high society girl and even though she doesn't see the difference between herself and her friends, Homer finds it hard to be around her, when he has fallen for her. Fi is yet another character that didn't get stuck for me. I hope to learn more about all of these hazy characters in the next book, though.
Robyn is the nurse, and she enjoys it. Though before the invasion, she would never had imagined to do what a doctor should do. Lee was, during the first days after they first returned home from the camping trip, shot in the leg and Robyn was the one taking care of it. if I remember correctly Robyn is Christian.
Kevin is Corrie's boyfriend and he is and adventurer. Whenever it's been calm for a while, he wants to jump into danger, but as soon as he gotten enough, he's scared of everything that can happen. In my opinion he's the guy who thinks he's something and tries to prove it whenever he forgets how scary things are.
Chris was, as mentioned earlier, appearing later. He is mentioned in the beginning, but I completely forgot about him until he is found at his house and asks to follow Ellie and the rest during a rescue operation. He "finds" cigarettes and alcohol a lot, and doesn't seem to take the situation as seriously. However, unlike the rest, his parents are out of the country, while the rest of the teens' parents are taken hostage.
I like this book, and I'm sure I will like the next one. It's in the young adult category and as there are some heated scenes I wouldn't recommend it to younger teens. This book is, however, not the best one I read, but it gets 5.5 stars. What lacks is the hazy characters. I want to know more about them in this book. However it is fast-paced without being hurried and even though there are a lot of things happening, it's not cluttered. Totally a must read!
