Annotation:
"When a disaster flattens his world, a young man with no soul is the only hope for the Nation."
Justification for nomination:
The book presents the reader with someone so different from what they are used to, and still manages to find a way to make him entirely relatable. A boy leaves his island home (Nation) to accept the trial that will make him a man. Before he can make his triumphant return, a tsunami destroys the village that he knows and with it everyone in his life. He knows he is truly not a man until he goes through the requisite rituals, and is therefore trapped somewhere between boyhood and manhood.
Other adult survivors come to Nation, but are unable or unwilling to accept the responsibility of leading them. Thus, the heavy burden falls on the shoulders of our protagonist. This is done quite expertly, and does not feel contrived.
The story is very intense, and at times gut wrenching. There are long periods of high-tension where I found myself lost in Nation. The intense moments were mixed with a truly interesting back-story which showed glimpses of the treatment of other cultures during the age of imperialism.
In the end, a decision must be made for both of the main characters. They need to weigh their senses of duty over their love for each other. The reader feels the immense weight of their choice, but the decision fits the characters perfectly.
The story never drags, even though it possesses many moving parts and approaches 400 pages. Overall, Pratchet has presented a masterpiece that is relatable to both an adult and adolescent audience.
Genre: Printz, Coming of age
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