Gullstruck Island, by Frances Hardinge
Another Frances Hardinge!
I was very excited to find a Hardinge book that I hadn't already read... This one was just as good as her other books: just as eccentric, just as complex, just as beautifully written.
The thing I admire most about this novel is the intricacy of the fantasy world. It is set on the fantastical island of Gullstruck (the clue's in the title there), and follows the main character Hathin and her sister Arilou.
The world of Gullstruck is so elaborately crafted. The island has its own political system, its own history and heritage and folklore, a number of different tribes (all of whom have different cultures, mannerisms and even languages), as well as its own species of animals, its own unique geography and topography, and of course a magical concept unlike anything in our world - the Lost.
The Lost are people born with the power to detach their senses from their bodies and send them elsewhere - giving them the ability to eavesdrop on distant conversations, see events unfold on the other side of the island, feel for lost items in faraway underground caverns, and all manner of other impressive feats. What a concept!
The consequence of having such a richly forged world is that there is a whole lot of vocabulary that has been invented to describe it. The Cavalcaste. The Reckoning. Blissing beetles with the Sours up Crackgem. An attempt to summarise the plot in any sort of detail would be futile, because the terminology would make very little sense unless you'd already read the book. But that's what makes this book so thrilling - it really is a completely original imaginary world. Furthermore, the neologisms are very fun to say. Perhaps this is a foible of mine, but I do occasionally find reading aloud very satisfying. The language of Frances Hardinge always rolls off the tongue very nicely, but I relish it all the more when it is peppered with these delicious new words, the same familiar alphabet arranged in a new design.
Interestingly, there is a note at the back of the book stressing that the fictional world and its characters are not supposed to resemble or comment upon any real-world races or governments. This seems to suggest that the book is intended to be enjoyed for what it is - a made-up story about a made-up place - for the pure love of fiction, rather than any sort of social commentary. I don't think this is a bad thing - far from it. Stories can be powerful and emotional in their own right (although admittedly most works on the respected 'literary canon' are about deep stuff...).
However, I do think there is at least one important theme woven into this story: there is a lot in it about the importance of language.
Hardinge has invented a number of different languages, that are spoken by the different tribes, and by the people of different social backgrounds. There's Nundestruth, the language of the streets, Doorsy, the language of the upper classes, Sour, the sibilant language spoken by the colonies on the mountainside. Some of these languages are actually written out differently (Nundestruth reads like broken English); but Hardinge almost always tells us what language the characters are speaking.
This is partly, I think, to enrich our perception of the world of Gullstruck. It also creates an intriguing exploration into the significance of language. In many scenes, there is a language divide, where important information cannot be found out because the characters do not have a common language. They have to sign, and draw pictures in the dust, almost suggesting that the multiple languages existing on Gullstruck are problematic. But conversely, the languages are portrayed as being alive and characterful through the descriptions of what they sound like, often through personification, and imagery relating to nature. And the languages are tied very closely to the characters' cultural backgrounds, which inform their identities.
The main characters are from a tribe that is discriminated against and repressed. They have to disguise themselves at times, suppress their giveaway mannerisms, dress differently and speak in a different language to obscure their identity and avoid capture. But despite being looked down upon and mistreated by all the other tribes, they are so proud of who they are, and eventually a number of the other characters come to realise that the tribes that they come from should not be a discriminating factor, but should be a difference to celebrate. I think it's an important message, and the use of different fantasy languages is a beautiful way of showing it.
Anyway, I shall leave you with one of my favourite pieces of Frances Hardinge genius. I collect quotes from her books - slices of language that make me smile. Here's a good one from Gullstruck Island. I like the language, and I like the message - words are powerful.
Both thought they could use words to make people do what they wanted, and one of them was right. The younger man with the scarred face tried to gust people along with a fussy logic, pelting them with reasons like fistfuls of feathers. The lean, older man with the plausible smile used words to gloss and slope the ground so that people slithered quite naturally in the direction he wished, not even knowing why.