Book Review: “Freaks of Nature”
The cure for a cataclysmic disease that ravages humanity in the future ends up creating a generation of children who harbor psychic powers. Unsurprisingly, governments decide these children are a danger to the world and incarcerate most of them. This is the premise of Wendy Brotherlin’s “Freaks of Nature,” which follows six children on a flight to the capital, where they will be imprisoned.
Our main character is Devon McWilliams, whose personal psychic power is the ability to talk to plants. His main conflict stems from his jealousy of the other psions (the name for children with psychic abilities) having way cooler powers than his own. Brotherlin was previously a writer for the nineties Nickelodeon show “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” and this definitely shows in Devon’s internal monologue when he uses phrases like “totally lame” to describe himself. Devon’s personal angst can be grating due to how constant it is, but I do think it’s justified, because every other psion the reader meets does indeed seem to have a better psychic arsenal.
What I don’t think is justified, however, are Devon’s girl problems. Devon instantly falls in love with any female he looks at for half a second. It’s the most blatant when he initially thinks one of his fellow inmates is a boy, but as soon as he realizes her true gender, he begins singing the praises of her beauty. It gives the impression that Devon is really desperate for female companionship, which makes it all the more unusual when he has ease wooing Alya the healer, whom he eventually chooses.
Action that propels the story forward is really only present at the beginning of the book, where Devon is captured after his escape attempt, and at the end of the book for the big climax. The rest of the time is spent reliving the six children’s memories. One of them is a telepath, and in order to decide who she will take with her on her escape attempt, she uses her power to replay crucial moments in the children’s lives for all of them to see. On the one hand, I can see why this device could work. By showing only the most defining moment for each kid, the reader can get a good handle on their personalities, motivations and backstories without unnecessary fluff. I like the first child’s (Vahn) memory a lot, because it has enough time to develop and it’s fairly compelling, especially considering it features a non-main character and his friends who do nothing to ultimately impact the plot. I suppose it was mostly the action-packed nature of the section, as a good chunk of the book is comprised of the kids arguing with each other.
The rest of the memories, sadly, are not nearly as developed. This includes Devon’s own story, which in theory should be the longest, but is only 12 pages! Unlike the action in Vahn’s memory, the action in the rest is expedited very quickly to the point where it feels more like exposition. I don’t know if the author had to cut elements due to deadlines or to keep the page count from being overwhelming, but it definitely feels like there are large chunks left out for the sake of time. This is even with the telepathy session being cut short by a twist that I saw coming, but am hesitant to blame on the author because I’m starting to suspect I’m just really good at guessing twists. If length was an issue for the author, she should have cut out Devon’s redundant romance issues and focused more on the action that shaped the psions’ lives.
A recent episode of the TV show “Rick and Morty” had Morty reading an amateur screenplay and criticizing it for the use of a dramatic cold open and then an abrupt “Three weeks earlier.” He specifically told the writer to “start your stories where they start.” With this fresh in my mind, I find that the “memory” aspect was not the best choice for this book. The main characters are on a flight to Washington, where they face no present danger, and any life-threatening situations are reviewed in past tense. Wouldn’t it make more sense for the events to happen in order? The author could have what are replayed memories in the current book as present events, thereby both maintaining the tension, as the reader is not sure that the characters will survive the ordeals, and generally allowing for a greater sense of continuity.
I really enjoy the world the story presents. While I’m not sure the relationship between psions and the government is realistic, I do see both sides of the argument, as obviously the psions don’t want to be imprisoned, but they are massive threats to everyone’s safety. The book also, thankfully, avoids a direct parallel with a civil rights movement because the oppressed psions think they are superior to the rest of humanity, not equal to it. It’s just a shame that the plot is character-driven. Two of the characters are without flaws (granted, they are girls as described by Devon). Another boy is obsessed with Christianity, and I’m not sure if the author wanted us to think him foolish or a genius for this. The girl who was thought to be a boy has a tragic memory, but because it is rushed, and because she acts obnoxious in the present, I don’t feel much sympathy towards her. Alya’s brother is just a jerk the whole time, and Devon has a wimpy inner monologue but speaks to the rest of the group like an annoyed parent. Again, my favorite is Vahn. He has a concrete goal that he needs to accomplish and a difficult life but enough strengths to balance him out and make him a rounded character. This, and the length of his memory, leads me to think that at one point he was supposed to be the main character before the author decided on Devon.
Though the organization of “Freaks of Nature’s” plot does not make sense to me, there are some good points in here. The writing, though reminding me more of the past than the future, is not bad at all. Each character, while usually not pleasant, is at least defined enough for all of them to be unique. An interesting concept sits beneath “Freaks of Nature’s” shortcomings, but unfortunately the reader must do a lot of digging to isolate it.
Jeremy Farbman is a junior at Mt. Lebanon High School