Noughts & Crosses

Malorie Blackman

Noughts & Crosses #1

Summary:

Callum is a nought – an inferior white citizen in a society controlled by the black crosses.

Sephy is a Cross – and the daughter of one of the most powerful, ruthless men in the country.

In their hostile, violent world, noughts and Crosses simply don’t mix. But when Sephy and Callum’s childhood friendship grows into passionate love, they’re determined to find a way to be together.

In One Word: Perturbing (Causing anxiety/unsettling)

Plot:

This is probably one of the best dystopians I’ve ever read, not because it's a great story (even though it is) or because the characters were great (which they are), but because it’s so extremely realistic. Most dystopians show a future that we can’t really imagine becoming reality, but the situation in Noughts and Crosses has been a reality in many countries. This way of looking at racism, in a fictional sense with two characters on opposite sides of the fence, is inspired. I liked that the author (who admits that some of the less intense parts of the novel actually happened to her) makes the black people the ruling class, which shows that she is not writing this because she has a grudge, but more because she feels like she should get the message out about how pointless racism is. The plotline of this story is extremely engaging and I couldn’t put it down for a second. This is also one of the very few books that made me cry, which really doesn’t happen very often. I didn’t really notice the writing all that much, which is a good sign in a book that is story- or character-driven like this one.

Characters:

I really loved the main characters in this book. They are realistic, flawed and relatable, all of which are qualities I look for in storybook characters. There are times when you don’t even like them all that much, which in some cases would’ve been a bad thing, but strangely works in this novel to make them feel like real people. In the end you really care for them, and anything that hurts them hurts you too. The minor characters weren’t as developed as the main ones, but they added something to the story as well without being distracting, especially Sephy’s mother and Callum’s brother.

Who should read this:

13+, mainly for violence and some sexual content, I don’t remember any language (I was too lost in the story to take notice). If you’re looking for something that will make an impact, make you cry or you have an interest in racial differences I definitely suggest this.. Also, if you’re looking for a dystopian that is completely original and different from anything you’ve read before then try this one. I think I would pretty much recommend this to anyone although I do realise that it will make some people highly uncomfortable.

My rating:

It’s hard to say that I loved this book, simply because it is so heart-wrenching and also pretty disturbing, but I did. I didn’t want to put it down, it touched me emotionally and it will be really hard to forget what happened in this story. 5/5

Quote:
That's just the way it is. Some thins will never change. That's just the way it is. But don't you believe them.