Rage by Jackie Morse Kessler
I would like to say again, that if the subject matter of self-mutilation makes you uncomfortable or is not of interest to you, I suggest not reading this review.
I have to state a few things to get my buzzing mind a little more focused.
1. I did not know that Rage was a sequel to Famine but would be intrigued to read it. That being said, I believe that Rage could easily be read and understood without reading the first book. Also, it seems that Rage is the second book in a series of four.
2. I think Rage was a very interesting read for me because it dealt with the topic of self-mutilation. Being a quirky person myself, I've met quite the variety of people in my life with various quirks. I've known a few cutters very well and have never truly understood the motivation or thoughts that go into it. I can hear them, try to understand, but it is something that I have not partaken in nor do I plan on ever doing so. Rage illustrated a much more intimate picture of the notions, environment, and beliefs that fall into it.
3. I'm not one to know much about Christian beliefs, this book deals with the forming of the four horse men, in particular the horse men War. There might be a lot of religious connotations that I missed, but I believe I've grasped the basic concept of the four horse men story. If I'm not mistaken, the four horse men lore says that when the four horse men are united and ride together, they usher in the apocalypse. That's probably the most simple way to put it, but that will suit my purposes.
NOW THAT I HAVE ALL THAT OUT OF THE WAY. That was a lot of serious face. URGH.
Moving on.
Rage centers around Melissa Miller, a sixteen year old soccer player that likes to wear a lot of black, is trying her damnedest to be the starting goalie for her soccer team, and is a cutter. Melissa goes by Missy, has a sister Sue, and two workaholic parents that have never been to one of her soccer games. At school, Missy is friends with Erica whom she tolerates but minimally participates in conversation with, and an ex-boyfriend Adam who has seen her scars from her cutting and shared that information with the school. He's one of the most whoorribleist characters I've come across in a book in a bit. Adam is a jerk. He's a jerk that publicly shames Missy whenever he can, and gets his troupe of friends to participate in the ridicule. Grade A obnoxious character.
The book begins with a prologue of sorts; it is revealed that Missy killed her cat and Death tells her she has blood on her hands. He gives her a white box and she slams the door on his face and shoves it on the top shelf of her closet, completely weirded out by what happened.
The book is rather short but packs a powerful story. I'm only going to discuss the first forty pages or so.
Basically, the story progresses and we are enabled to see that crap life that Missy has at school, the daily punishment her peers dole out and the emotional build up that eventually leads to her cutting herself craving the release. It seems to be that Missy cuts herself for control over her emotions, although she seems to have a very precise control over her actions and words. So the story begins to get more intense as Erica invites her to a party, which Missy reacts indifferently to with the secret decision not to go. Then Adam invites her with a tempting kiss and Missy melts a bit and decides to go. At the party, she sees Erica, listens to her for a bit before moving on and Adam swoops in on her. He kisses her and one thing leads to another and they're up in a bedroom. Adam basically commands Missy to get naked and she agrees as she flushed with lust. After she's completely naked and has a notion that Adam has accepted her finally, he tells her to pose for her. She does, and that's when all the other party goers burst in and snap pictures and videos of her naked body. Mortified doesn't begin to describe the situation.
Shortly after that event, Missy flees home and cuts herself, but she cuts too much in her emotional frenzy. She begins to die, and with death's encouragement, she manages to get the sword of War from her closet shelf and thus begins her journey to be one of the four horse men.
It would seem a little morbid to say that I liked this book, but I thought it was an understanding portrayal of one person's story with self-mutilation. Every person has a different story as to why they self-mutilate, and I think Missy's story is not only a good teaching story about bullying and the affects of bullying, but also a good teaching story about how to cope with the various forms of anger.
I'd recommend this book for those interested in the subject matter, and I know I spent a lot of time talking about the self-mutilation aspect of the book, but there is a lot more that centers around the aspect of her journey of trying to become War. The more fantastical elements of the book were easy to understand and the suspension of disbelief was easy despite some of the subject matter.
Again, I do not own the image I used above; I am merely using it to illustrate the subject matter in which I wrote about.
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