Robin McKinley's Sunshine is a story about a girl, a vampire, life on earth after the Voodoo Wars, and a bunch of other things that I'm still confused about. No, confused isn't the right word, a bunch of other things that I'm still left wondering about - pondering if you will. The book is broken up into 4 parts opposed to individual chapters. The first part for me was like one giant run on sentence. After I got used to the 1st person story telling (let me just add that I usually have no problem at all with 1st person, but this one took a bit getting used to), it took me until the end of the 2nd section to realize that severe lack of dialogue amongst the characters was in fact intentional and would continue throughout the rest of the book. By the third section I found that I could skip paragraphs and still know what was going on - and while it shames me to admit it, since I detest skimming, I did in fact skip a bit. The whole book is basically one huge adjective. The author goes into colorful depth of everything from the scenery, to the magic used, to Sunshine's clothing, state of mind, fear, anger, confusion...etc. I know a book, a good book, is suppose to transport you to the place, time, and amongst the characters, but this one was so drastic in description. Not a bad thing, merely how I perceived it.
Sunshine is abducted by vampires and as a result of this her entire world changes - as it should I would think. She is forced to use the magic her grandmother showed her how to briefly use when she was a child, magic that she had ignored for 15 years. In the process of escaping she also rescues a vampire who was also being held captive - Constantine. The entire rest of the store keeps you locked in Sunshine's unsure, fearful, and confusing head. I liked the fact that from beginning to end she is who she is. She does not get a dose of super human ninja courage just because she realizes the power she has, but nor does she really seem to obtain any real form of self confidence. Theres also an underlying sexual tension between Sunshine and Constantine that is never resolved, never goes away, and is never expounded upon. Sunshine also has a boyfriend, Mel, who remains a mystery as to what he is, why hes a part of Sunshine's life, and to what extent they care for one another. She never leaves Mel, despite Constantine, but then again she doesn't really do anything with Con either.
The ending of the story left me trying to talk myself into getting the sequel. When i finally decided that I could in fact read the second book I was shocked to find that there is no second book nor will there be! The ending is left very open. Seeing as how this book does not provide answers of any kind to any question, the ending actually works. This is not a typical story. The whole thing flows on the same wave length throughout with a climax near the end during the "big battle" but then it straightens itself out and and continues on again until it simply ends.
I liked it. Despite the questions, and the openendedness, the extreme lack of dialogue, and the extreme amount of description to the point of overkill, I liked this book. Still cant figure out why I did...Kudos to McKinley for writing a book that makes you think. Even if the thought you're having is "what the heck did I just read?"
From Booklist via Amazon:
Rae Seddon, nicknamed Sunshine, lives a quiet life working at her stepfather's bakery. One night, she goes out to the lake for some peace and quiet. Big mistake. She is set upon by vampires, who take her to an old mansion. They chain her to the wall and leave her with another vampire, who is also chained. But the vampire, Constantine, doesn't try to eat her. Instead, he implores her to tell him stories to keep them both sane. Realizing she will have to save herself, Sunshine calls on the long-forgotten powers her grandmother began to cultivate in her when she was a child. She transforms her pocketknife into a key and unchains herself--and Constantine. Surprised, he agrees to flee with her when she offers to protect him from the sun with magic. They escape back to town, but Constantine knows his enemies won't be far behind, which means that he and Sunshine will have to face them together. A luminous, entrancing novel with an enthralling pair of characters at its heart. Kristine Huntley
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