“The Electric Kingdom” By David Arnold is told as three peoples point of view – Nico who is eighteen years old and her dog Harry, Kit who is twelve years old and a person called The Deliverer. I love the multiple people perspectives delivering style. Mostly it guaranteed to keep me up late. Reading only one chapter from each point of view to know what is going on with each character. In spite of the fact that they have remained safe for all these years, conditions, curiosity, wants, desires and more drive every one of them out into the world. I was so curious to see what Arnold had imagined.
Nico and Kit are great leads. I liked the manner in which Kit thought – and his love for ‘his’ library. He was so all around drawn and quickly caught my heart. Being older, Nico is more like a critical thinker – could the Stories her dad tells be real? There are various supporting characters that likewise have stories to tell. The Deliverer’s is the most mysterious.
The proof of a demolished world is there, out on the road. However, that is not the central point of Arnold’s story. Rather it is about relationships that are missed, treasured, remembered. I think I needed more about this ruined world.
As their journey proceeds, Arnold starts to weave together the strings of the three Stories. He does it in such a manner that I had not expected or envisioned. Moreover, I should, must admit. It was in such a manner that I struggle to put it together now and then. Certainly interesting however. This is marked as a young adult novel. I think that older teenagers would be more likely to get a handle on Arnold’s work.
I did like “The Electric Kingdom” By David Arnold, however not as much as I had expected. The Electric Kingdom is 432 pages long. Which kept me rapt for more of the time, yet close to the end I felt like things might have been straightened out and told in less pages. Overall I recommend it to readers who are a fan of science fiction, dystopian fiction or young adult fantasy.
Also Read: What Big Teeth: By Rose Szabo
