Green by Jay Lake

Title: Green
Author: Jay Lake
Format: book


I must admit, the first thing that drew my attention was the cover. I instantly thought "Hey, a ninja girl!" In a sense, I'm not completely wrong. Though the character is not a ninja, she does possess a great deal of athletic ability that is very similar in practice to the Japanese ninjas of old. Her name is Green, just like the title, and she's an unfortunate girl who finds herself a consort of sorts to a man she's never met.

She is groomed to be this unfamiliar (and rich) man's partner, but Green - like any normal girl - doesn't want to comply. She prefers to do things her way. Of course, none of her teachers enjoy that. They are hard on her. This creates for a very sympathetic feeling in the reader. It isn't hard to connect with Green and wish she could have more freedom in her life instead of being confined as she is.

When she does get her freedom, it's just as easy to feel glad for her. Happy for her. But now begs the question: what next? The journey that Green takes from being a consort to pursuing her more adventurous life - the one that is depicted vividly on the book cover - is a peculiar one. She searches for herself and her next purpose, and where she ends up is not to be expected.

I found Green's journey from one turning point in her life to the next to be interesting. I was quite curious to see where she would go. However, there were a few elements about the book that took away from my experience reading it. For one, the pacing. There is a lot of detail and emphasis that goes into the time period when Green is being groomed and confined. While the dedication to this part is fantastic, too much time was taken just building this part up.

By the time we get to the actual "journeying" part of Green's story, it seems to be lacking in content and depth. As if that part wasn't quite as thought out. Also, Green's actions after she finds her freedom gradually seem to fall into chaos. I became unsure about the real purpose of her actions, and where this story was supposed to end.

The problem that stories like this one have, where a character stuck in such a restricted world suddenly finds themselves free of restriction, is the uncertainty once free. It's okay for a character to feel lost, but the reader shouldn't feel that way too. Upon reaching the destination of Green's journey, and the actions she takes to get there, I still feel like there's so much missing and she didn't accomplish anything at all.

The side trips she takes along the way distract me from the purpose of her journey (or what I assume to be her purpose - I'm  not too sure if there actually is one anymore).

I wish there was more coherence with the plot, and a clearer portrayal of Green's mission. For this book, the mystery shouldn't have been the destination, but how to get there. There was much to be desired when I finished this book. There is a sequel (Endurance), but I'm not too sure if I'll give it a look. Maybe somewhere down the road, but I'm not in a rush.

Overall: 3 out of 5