A breath of fresh air in a hot and humid summer
RIH ISFEL <br>by Pierre J. Mejlak<br>Merlin Library Ltd pp 197, ISBN 9789990912944
Merlin Library have long been associated with children's books, with well-known authors such as Trevor Zahra and Charles Casha on their lists. However, it is only recently that they have ventured into publishing fiction for young adults. I suppose it is a wise move, considering that when you publish books for children you lose your customers fairly quickly and that young adult fiction is a largely untapped market in Maltese literature.
Their latest offering is a first novel (as opposed to a story-book) by a writer who is best known for his blog and for translating two massive books (an encyclopaedia and a children's bible). Rih Isfel, however, must be his biggest undertaking so far. It is a novel set in a fictitious village in Gozo where a group of fifth form boys are finishing their year at school and starting their holidays. Then there is a mystery, when a mischievous boy is apparently kidnapped. It is a mystery that needs to be solved, and as readers we are keen for it to be solved.
As will be the case with most readers, I knew that this was a story about a kidnapping from the publicity material that has been circulating both in the real and the virtual world. Yet, it is only in chapter 19 that the story gets to this point. The thing is, I hardly noticed. I had been so engrossed in the characters and the village they live in, the different ways they eat their peanuts, get rid of their pets' parasites and place the most ridiculous bets that I had almost forgotten the poor boy who should have been kidnapped by now. As I read on, I realised why the context was so important, but I won't spoil your enjoyment of the story by delving into that.
The main plot is brilliantly constructed, but I think I would still have read the book with enjoyment if it had no plot at all. The background is just as interesting as the plot, populated by adolescents trying to grow up in this small village with nothing to do but go round on their bikes, sucking their ice-lollies, trying to hook up with one of the girls and observing the adults going around their daily business and nightly distractions. I think it is here that Mr Mejlak is at his best, depicting the difficulties of being 15 or 16 in a village that is at least 500 years old, and has not changed much in the meantime. Well, there's television, and cars, and video games and a Chinese restaurant somewhere nearby, but otherwise the men still spend their evenings socialising at the local band club, and the women are only called upon when more sandwiches are needed. The priests still dominate the community, dictating the lifestyle of its members and maybe even holding them back from contributing towards a more just society.
The story is told through the eyes of a third-person narrator, someone who knows the village very well but seems to be emotionally detached from it. The conservative set-up of the village is condemned, but criticism is never heavy-handed. It seems to be explained by the inertia that is embedded in the community, in the environment itself. As Jason, one of the smartest teenagers in the novel, says towards the end of the book, there is not much you can do about this, except wish you were born somewhere else. Or maybe move away.
I do not, by any stretch, fall into the age bracket that this book is aimed at. Yet I am not ashamed to say that I enjoyed reading it more than I enjoyed reading recent works of fiction in Maltese meant for more adult readers. It may well be that I have not yet grown up properly, but I suppose it is also because finally young adult fiction has come of age.
This is a book for young people who want to be treated like grown ups, for grown ups who want to feel young, and for anyone who likes a good story well told. Whatever age you are, buy this book and read it. If your parents are still responsible for what you read, do not tell them about it. There are a couple of rude words they might object to. It is nothing much, just the words teenagers use when their parents aren't listening, or that parents use when they think children are not listening.
• Dr Marco Galea teaches literature and theatre history at the University of Malta. He is currently president of the Akkademja tal-Malti and editor of the journal Il-Malti. • A review copy of this title was supplied by the publishers.
Their latest offering is a first novel (as opposed to a story-book) by a writer who is best known for his blog and for translating two massive books (an encyclopaedia and a children's bible). Rih Isfel, however, must be his biggest undertaking so far. It is a novel set in a fictitious village in Gozo where a group of fifth form boys are finishing their year at school and starting their holidays. Then there is a mystery, when a mischievous boy is apparently kidnapped. It is a mystery that needs to be solved, and as readers we are keen for it to be solved.
As will be the case with most readers, I knew that this was a story about a kidnapping from the publicity material that has been circulating both in the real and the virtual world. Yet, it is only in chapter 19 that the story gets to this point. The thing is, I hardly noticed. I had been so engrossed in the characters and the village they live in, the different ways they eat their peanuts, get rid of their pets' parasites and place the most ridiculous bets that I had almost forgotten the poor boy who should have been kidnapped by now. As I read on, I realised why the context was so important, but I won't spoil your enjoyment of the story by delving into that.
The main plot is brilliantly constructed, but I think I would still have read the book with enjoyment if it had no plot at all. The background is just as interesting as the plot, populated by adolescents trying to grow up in this small village with nothing to do but go round on their bikes, sucking their ice-lollies, trying to hook up with one of the girls and observing the adults going around their daily business and nightly distractions. I think it is here that Mr Mejlak is at his best, depicting the difficulties of being 15 or 16 in a village that is at least 500 years old, and has not changed much in the meantime. Well, there's television, and cars, and video games and a Chinese restaurant somewhere nearby, but otherwise the men still spend their evenings socialising at the local band club, and the women are only called upon when more sandwiches are needed. The priests still dominate the community, dictating the lifestyle of its members and maybe even holding them back from contributing towards a more just society.
The story is told through the eyes of a third-person narrator, someone who knows the village very well but seems to be emotionally detached from it. The conservative set-up of the village is condemned, but criticism is never heavy-handed. It seems to be explained by the inertia that is embedded in the community, in the environment itself. As Jason, one of the smartest teenagers in the novel, says towards the end of the book, there is not much you can do about this, except wish you were born somewhere else. Or maybe move away.
I do not, by any stretch, fall into the age bracket that this book is aimed at. Yet I am not ashamed to say that I enjoyed reading it more than I enjoyed reading recent works of fiction in Maltese meant for more adult readers. It may well be that I have not yet grown up properly, but I suppose it is also because finally young adult fiction has come of age.
This is a book for young people who want to be treated like grown ups, for grown ups who want to feel young, and for anyone who likes a good story well told. Whatever age you are, buy this book and read it. If your parents are still responsible for what you read, do not tell them about it. There are a couple of rude words they might object to. It is nothing much, just the words teenagers use when their parents aren't listening, or that parents use when they think children are not listening.
• Dr Marco Galea teaches literature and theatre history at the University of Malta. He is currently president of the Akkademja tal-Malti and editor of the journal Il-Malti. • A review copy of this title was supplied by the publishers.