Weightless (novel)

Weightless

First edition UK hardback cover
Author Sarah Bannan
Audio read by Andi Arndt
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Genre Young adult fiction
Published 2015
Publisher Bloomsbury Circus, St. Martin's Griffin
Media type Print, e-book, audiobook
Pages 336 pages
ISBN 9781408856420

Weightless, released in Germany as Die Neue (The New),[1] is a 2015 young adult novel and the debut work of the American author Sarah Bannan. It was first published in the United Kingdom through Bloomsbury Circus on 12 March 2015, followed by a United States release on 30 June through St. Martin's Griffin.[2] The work deals with the themes of cyberbullying and peer pressure and is told from the viewpoint of several anonymous narrators as they reflect upon the appearance of a new student that stirs up differing emotions from various people.

Synopsis

The book's plot predominantly centers upon Carolyn Lessing, a beautiful young teenager that has moved to Adamsville, Alabama and has recently begun attending the local high school. She's initially met with a largely positive reception from the student body, as they're both awed and envious of her, and she soon begins dating Shane, one of the most popular guys at school. However even as they praise her, Carolyn is still an outsider and is more treasured for what she represents (wealth, glamour, talent, fame) than for herself as a person - something that becomes more readily apparent when her relationship with Shane brings about the wrath of one of the school's mean girls. As time progresses her peers begin to bully Carolyn, first slowly and then with more emphasis. Despite these actions taking a very negative toll on Carolyn's physical and mental well-being, the bullying is largely met with apathy because it was so slow to develop and most of the onlookers are inured to what they're seeing and many even believe that she brought this about on herself.

Development

Bannan drew upon her own childhood experiences for Weightless and was also inspired by a news story about an American teenager that committed suicide as a result of cyberbullying.[3] Bannan chose to set the work in a small town as she felt that they tend to give more weight and consideration to rumors and gossip, and because she felt that this was hypocritical to how small towns are typically portrayed.[4] She also decided that rather than narrate the book from the perspective of one person that it would be better to use the first person plural narrative, as this made the work feel more "real, authentic and natural".[4]

Reception

Critical reception has been positive.[5] The Irish Times and the Irish Independent both gave favorable reviews for Weightless, with both outlets citing the book's themes of cyberbullying and peer pressure as highlights.[6][7] The Daily Mail commented on the work's use of multiple first person narrative, writing "Bannan uses the collective ‘we’ to convey the impression of an entire community witnessing something awful that they are both complicit in and powerless to stop."[8] The Argus also enjoyed this aspect, which they felt was "immensely effective, providing a bird’s-eye view that forces you to realise that bullying and its consequences are far more complex (and at the same time, so brutally simple) than we might sometimes think, and to see how everybody, somehow, is involved or has their own perception of things."[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Die Neue (Deutsch Auflag)". Sarah Bannan. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  2. ↑ Deahl, Rachel. "Book Deals: Week of August 12, 2013". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  3. ↑ "Writing the news: Ryan Gattis and Sarah Bannan – books podcast". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  4. 1 2 Bannan, Sarah. "Can we do it? Yes, we can: Sarah Bannan on daring to use the first person plural". Irish Times. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  5. ↑ "Book review: Weightless". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  6. ↑ Conroy, Deirdre. "Weightless, the debut novel from Sarah Bannan tackles teenage torture unfettered by the internet". Irish Independent. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  7. ↑ Gilmartin, Sarah. "New fiction: Weightless by Sarah Bannan". Irish Times. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  8. ↑ Allfree, Claire. "LITERARY FICTION". Daily Mail. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  9. ↑ Jackson, Abi. "Thrown into the hierarchy of high school". The Argus. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
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