Eleanor and Park

Title: Eleanor and Park

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Publisher: Orion

Published: February 2013

This is a beautiful and unlikely love story, and I really enjoyed it. It is a beautiful, surprising read; the danger, I think, of stories like Eleanor and Park is their becoming hackneyed, ‘another YA romance’. But that’s not the case here. 

Eleanor and Park fall in love whilst dealing with family troubles and peer pressures at school; superficially, the plot may at first sound rather similar to other high school romances, but the prose, characters and poignancy of the tale sets it apart entirely. Eleanor is red-haired, intelligent and stands out in her odd, mismatched clothes; she also struggles with a secret abusive life at home. Park is half-Korean, absorbed in his comics and quietly maintaining his borderline ‘cool’ profile in school. But that changes when Park and Eleanor habitually sit near each other on the back of the bus. Gradually, Park realises she is reading his comics; an awkward lending of comics and sharing of mixed tapes (it’s set in the eighties) ensues, and a tentative friendship begins. The relationship that follows is imperfect, because Park doesn’t respond as he should to the reactions of his friends and family to Eleanor. His initial failure to help or stand up for her is painful to read but realistically immature for their ages and the typical pressures they face as teenagers. But his subsequent growth and change is rewarding for it.

Ultimately, this is a story about two frail people discovering that they are worth being loved, protected and valued (not just by each other, but by the adults in their lives). A really poignant read about first love, loss, finding inner strength and growing up.

Tips for Internships in Publishing

Internship Tips 

A few short, simple tips on what worked for me when managing tasks as a new intern: 

Positivity

Perhaps this is very obvious, but worth mentioning, regardless. Internships in publishing are often unpaid, though it’s my personal belief that as an intern you’re invariably repaid ‘in kind’. The experience you get is invaluable and so is the reference you’ll be supplied with. Bearing this in mind, it’s as well to take on every task with positivity. 

Note-taking on paper

Taking notes on everything (literally) helped me to learn and manage tasks, so keeping a notebook in the office is a good idea. Simple things like how to use a function on a computer, photocopier or printer – as well as instructions for more complicated jobs – can be immensely helpful to have to hand if you remember to write them down. 

Note-taking on screen

I kept a running list on MS Word of all the tasks I had done on each day of my internship. I added to the list each week to create a record of everything and anything I’d done, useful for me and for the people supplying my reference later. I saved this list for my reference at the end of my internship and it supplied me with a record of tasks I’d forgotten doing, very useful when updating my CV. 

Prioritise 

When workloads are heavy, look over everything and prioritise. Though it should generally be obvious, it’s as well to ask if you’re unsure! 

Everything brings insight 

Every job given is a job that needs doing by someone in the office. So all intern experience brings insight; all the challenging and fun tasks are best counterbalanced with the routine and necessary ones. Filing and copying, for instance, are integral to working life in a publishing office; I realised quickly that it’s as well to get to grips with everything and learn about publishing life from the bottom up. So it is good to get the right balance between the big and small tasks (all of equal importance!) during any internship experience.

Relax 

The friends and supervisors I’ve met so far in publishing have been exceptionally lovely and willing you on to succeed. So fret not, enjoy the time and ask for help if anything is uncertain. 

Who Framed Klaris Cliff

Title: Who Framed Klaris Cliff?

Author: Nikki Sheehan

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: February 2014

Joseph Reece lives next door to his best friend, Rocky, and Rocky’s siblings. He lives with his father, since Joseph’s mother left and has not been heard from in two years; in the interim, Joseph is visited by an imaginary friend who will not leave him alone. But imaginary friends are not considered the harmless stuff of play and games in this book. In Nikki Sheehan’s world, imaginary friends are regarded as a threat (something akin to poltergeists). Operations exist to remove these dangerous spirits from young minds and the centre of creativity in the brain is targeted, essentially ‘blipping’ children’s imagination with a laser beam. This is the threat that Joseph finds himself faced with when an imaginary friend of Rocky’s brother Flea turns ‘rogue’ and appears to him. Can Joseph evade this fate? Can he be rid of Klaris Cliff? (Or does he want to be?)

The premise of this story intrigued me from the start; it disturbed me that there was no great sign of an ideological shift in Joseph’s world but I take that as the point, that we are left faced with questions at the story’s conclusion. What is the result in this fictional world of young children continuing to be ‘operated’ on, what does the concept of a butchered imagination really mean? Joseph’s personal story and his need for closure is what matters, though, and he is a likeable hero, regarded by himself and others as ‘normal’ apart from his connection to an ‘imaginary’ Klaris. But I think my favourite character in this was Flea. I loved and pitied his meekness, his inability to be other than he is; his quiet acceptance of his bullying and sad belief that he deserved it all because, supposedly, the sins of introversion and imagination made him abnormal, according to his siblings, his peers and even his father. That in itself is a poignant message to be left with; in a world that deals with the matter-of-fact and everyday, imagination is something side-lined, a source of embarrassment that results in isolation and misunderstanding.

A very poignant and thought-provoking read.

Finding an Internship in Publishing

Since starting my MA, I have been lucky enough to intern with a couple of publishers and so decided to publish a post on finding an internship in publishing (not to offer an infallible guide but share tips on what has worked for me).

Social Media

Random House is particularly good at posting new work experience opportunities via Facebook. Hachette likewise posts a lot of internship opportunities and job openings on their official website, their Facebook page and via Twitter, as do smaller companies like Nosy Crow. A summer internship scheme is offered by Penguin; HarperCollins offers a graduate recruitment scheme. There are other Twitter accounts (i.e. Book Careers, Ideas Tap) that advertise internships in publishing and related fields, also worth following. But incredible opportunities have come up via social media that I otherwise would never have seen. 

Logistics Later

For me, the long-term value of getting my ‘foot in the door’ was worth so much more than the short-term costs of accommodation, food, etc., when I worked my first voluntary week at a publishing company some distance from home. My week at that company was fantastic, it confirmed what I wanted to do and it led to other opportunities (including another longer internship) later. 

Past Experience

Past experience and perspective brought from working in other fields can be incredibly helpful. Before I began my Publishing MA, I used to work as a children’s librarian and a teaching assistant; this gave me a lot of time to read to and with children and teenagers, to learn more about their books, to see what sorts of books they loved and what they responded to. As I ultimately want to work with children’s books, all of this I count as significant (along with my English degree, creative writing classes, etc.), and I reference my experiences in more detail whenever I write a covering letter.

Demonstrate Passion and Knowledge 

Keep yourself informed on what’s out there and what people think of the books you want to work with. You can follow publishers and agents, authors and bloggers on Twitter, and listen to their opinions and insights. Follow accounts like The Bookseller and Publishing Perspectives, anything to create a tailored newsfeed for yourself about publishing on Twitter. I have found research invaluable when applying to publishers, in order to show awareness and appreciation for their material. If you’ve read books on the publisher’s list, it will give you another advantage, particularly if you liked them and can discuss them. 

Covering Letter 

It’s as well to have a basic covering letter prepared that can be adapted easily whenever new opportunities arise and whatever you do, proofread everything several times.

The Bone Dragon

Title: The Bone Dragon 

Author: Alexia Casale 

Publisher: Faber and Faber 

Published: April 2013

The Bone Dragon begins with protagonist Evie coming round from surgery, and we realise quickly that she has been the victim of abuse; Evie’s ribcage is literally shattered, a fact she’s kept secret for years from her adoptive parents. 

Enigmatic and intelligent, Evie conveys the past to us in sideways glances; she keeps us guessing at what happened whilst living with her birth mother and her grandparents, revealing the truth only in snatches and fragments. The Dragon of the title, meanwhile, serves as object, character and metaphor. Carved out of one of Evie’s own ribs, the talisman takes on life in her mind, helping her process her grief and recover strength. Even as she finds happiness and stability with her new family and with friends in school, the cynicism, wit and wisdom of the Bone Dragon also serve as a genteel expression of (as well as façade to) Evie’s deep-seated bitterness and anger. The Dragon presses for revenge – and, ultimately, revenge is taken, making for an ending that is more than a little disquieting. 

It is hard to say more without revealing spoilers, but Evie and those she loves in the book are reeling from grief and damage caused by others. Ultimately, it is not enough for Evie to not act. There is no forgiveness for wrongs in The Bone Dragon, and in this story, anger is not crippling, but an agent of power. The moral implications of the ending are dubious, but nevertheless thought-provoking, and I found this a clever, resonant tale on the darker psychological effects of abuse. It’s another one to stay on the shelf.

(Incidentally, I know I am possibly not meant to feel very sorry for a certain thuggish boy named Sonny at Evie’s school, but knowing that the other name for ‘deadly nightshade’ is ‘belladonna’ … perhaps the point is made in that duel naming, and in his botched giving of that particular flower for Evie!)

Cuckoo Song

Title: Cuckoo Song
Author: Frances Hardinge
Publisher: Macmillan
Published: May 2014
Click to buy.

Triss wakes up one day to find that her hair is shedding leaves and she is ravenously hungry (so hungry she even raids the garden at night to eat rotting apples). Her sister Penelope (or Pen) is terrified of her, as though she is no longer Triss but someone else living in Triss’ skin. Triss also has odd nightmares that seem to end with a voice counting down her days. There’s no help to be had from her parents, who are grieving for her dead brother, Sebastian, lost to the war. Triss – or a new someone posing as Triss – has to solve the mystery of what happened both to her and the girl she replaced, if either is going to survive.

Cuckoo Song was a wonderful, sad and chilling book that I couldn’t put down. It is set in the aftermath of the First World War, though has the gothic overtones of a dark Victorian fairy tale, and Triss makes a compelling, fierce, strong and loyal protagonist. In this story, the war has literally shaken the core of what things we accept and choose to believe, resulting in the uncertain and impossible gaining new footholds. The magical and fantastical elements of this tale are not safe, beautiful or kind; the creatures of this book are frightening, harsh, cunning and macabre. Yet it is still an uplifting tale about sisterly trust, strength of character, broken dolls and diary souls. It is very hard to cover everything this tale encompasses and the extent of magic it contains without giving away vital spoilers, making it such a difficult book to review, yet all I can urge you to do is read it. There is nothing quite like it. 

However, I should read it in the daytime, and a warning to all the china doll lovers of the world: dolls will be harmed in the reading of this book.

Also, you may never look at scissors in the same way again.