book of the week

unseen, unheard

T I T L E

unseen, unheard

A U T H O R

xylianeo

S Y N O P S I S

(as copied from book)

ELLA CHEN IS INVISIBLE. There's no way around it. Ever since her parents were jailed and she got sent off to live with her aunt in Holland Village, one of the richest neighbourhoods on the island of Singapore, she's been a wandering ghost. Literally. No one notices her in or out of school and she feels out of place amongst the privileged, well-to-do students.

Enter Chris Lee, arguably the most admired and coveted of them all-- and for some reason, only has eyes for Ella. The class divide has always separated the two of them, but as they get closer together, that divide becomes more and more apparent, warning Ella of her past and the danger of crossing the elite.

T H O U G H T S

To be honest and perfectly clear, I initially clicked on this book because of its cover. (Seriously. Look at how aesthetic it is.)

Not only is that purple an absolutely dazzling shade, but the picture of the girl also reminds me so much of my own profile picture. Stunningly so. A girl in a light shirt against a pale cool background with flowers in hand.

And then we came to the book itself, and I was floored.

First of all, I'd like to thank our lovely author for addressing just how much we high school/secondary school chem students hate our titrations. (Have I mentioned the fact that it took us six attempts to get two usable trials?)

But I digress.

This book is a powerful piece not only because of its plotline, but because it showcases the power of the ordinary, the power that we can have even if we're not helming Death Stars. The power that we can have just by raising our hands and telling someone "no".

The book's plot is an extremely intriguing one. Ella Chen, who, by the way, is played by Karen Chen, one of my favourite skaters, is parentless, her mother and father locked away for a crime she's convinced they didn't commit. Ella becomes an invisible girl, floating silently through the hallways of a school filled with people far wealthier than she is. People who form the upper echelon of Singaporean society, who avoid people like Ella because they are disgusted. Repulsed to be around them. Forbidden by societal norms.

Except for Chris Lee.

He's just as rich as any of them. Richer, even. But he still takes the time to study even though he has enough money to cover him for a lifetime, maybe multiple lifetimes, because it interests him. Because he likes it. And Ella, too.

As Chris chases Ella, he tosses aside warnings from his mother, his driver, and his wisecracking, cynical friend Phoebe, who reminds him that even if he doesn't like it, that class divide will persist and has persisted, and if he runs into it, he's more likely to break than the wall.

Destroying himself for a girl who is, for all intents and purposes, invisible.

Intriguing, no?

At once, I imagined this to be a plot-driven book, one that focuses more on telling a story and less on exposing or revealing a character.

I was most definitely wrong.

Through the lenses of both Ella and Chris's voices, we begin to develop images of both of them, forgetting about the story and focusing on exploring their natures and understanding them. Ella, especially, as both points of view revolve around her.

It's through understanding Ella that we learn to understand the power of the ordinary.

When Chris recognizes her, sees her as an actual human being and not an invisible girl, that's a trigger---or a catalyst, for my chem geeks---for her to realize that she is human too. To know that people can be so degrading to themselves is horrifying, but our author also paints this girl as an inexplicable fighter, helping us simultaneously realize what people are going through and handing us a solution wrapped in an aesthetic cover.

It's the little things we do. Helping a girl who's hurt. Standing up for yourself when someone asks invasive questions. And, of course, accepting help.

When he extends his hand out the first time, Ella vehemently rejects him, and Chris realizes that she's so desperately in need of help that she's become blind to it. A paradox of the human emotion.

Humans are very complex things.

But when Elias, Chris's friend, sits in her seat, Ella speaks up, no longer the invisible girl.

For a moment, she is neither unseen or unheard by all.

To Chris, she never is.

...

written by teamiyazaki