Opening
Bibliographic Information:
Tantalize
/
by Cynthia Leitich Smith
ISBN–10:
0763627917 / Candlewick /
p. 336 / $ 6.80 (Amazon)
Body of Content
Summary: An orphan
girl by the name of Quincie Morris moves into the household of her Uncle
Davidson, and in the process, inherits the family business. Once an Italian eatery, the restaurant is undergoing
remodeling and remarketing efforts as a vampire-themed establishment. In this small-town setting, more than meets the
eye – as mythological creatures abound of the book’s pages. After the murder of the chef incumbent,
Quincie’s world grows even more complicated.
The police start an investigation into the murder of the chef. Faced with an increasingly unreliable family
(Uncle), ever absent best friend (Kieren), and a strange replacement cook (Brad),
the protagonist must grip to separate her feelings from reality. Pressured by impeding deadlines, Quincie must
balance her school work with business responsibilities. But with murders and monsters looming around
the turn of each page, more than the fate of one character rests in the decisions
made by Quincie.
Critique: [Spoiler
Alert] The book Tantalize contains a
literary feature common in many YA novels – that of the ambiguous ending. In adult literary works, it is common to
write a very well-defined conclusion – whether it includes an event like a birth,
a death, a wedding, etc. – or more simply, an impression like a character
coming to realization of their identity.
YA books (often) include less direct approaches when forming their
conclusions.
In Tantalize, no
one dies. Well, in fairness, basically everyone in Quincie’s life dies before
the last chapter – but the last chapter does not resolve anything – as she,
Brad, and Kieren all live to fight another day.
The ending of the book contains an ambiguous nature since the reader
learns of all three fates – the characters soon separated by geography, but all
alive: Quincie stays; Brad runs to San Antonio; and Kieren roams the nation in
his herd. Such features also create a lack of “falling
action”. Without a clear intentionality
to the book’s conclusion, the climax of the book is muddled, too. Typically, a novel contains a few chapters of
falling action – after the climax. But
for Tantalize, the ending feels
rushed.
Personally, I enjoy novels with clear endings. This holds true partially due to the reading satisfaction
– i.e. the book offers a resolution to the story’s events. But further, it reminds me that the author
had a story worth telling. Ambiguous
endings are more than a stylistic error; they reveal a lack of content. Instead of offering a well-thought out
thesis, ambiguous endings (often) only deliver topical significance. Books are meant to have a beginning, middle, and
ending. Indirect resolutions start to
negate more than just the ending of the story.
While I respect the author as a person, the novel Tantalize did not provide a satisfying conclusion – and like
slaying the dragon at the level-five castle in the original Super Mario Bros –
I realize that my princess resides in a different (literary) castle.
Teaser: Quincie is a high-school girl growing up quickly in the
real world – filled with murders, business responsibilities, and love
interests. Can she keep her head or become the latest victim in a string of
murders?
Information about the Author: Cynthia
Leitich Smith writes YA books along with illustrated books aimed at younger
audiences. She is mostly known for her
series of books that developed from Tantalize. Many of her works deal with issues related to
Native Americans, partially due to her own heritage from the Muscogee Creek
Nation. Currently, the author also is
professor at Vermont College of Fine Arts – teaching courses dealing with
writing and YA program concerns (Wikipedia, 2011). Smith resides in Austin, Texas – and her
living experience there helped shaped some of the background details of the
novel’s setting (Smith, 2011b).
Smith holds a varied writing past – having attended college
for degrees in journalism at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, along with
time spent at The University of Michigan.
As part of her college time, Smith spent time abroad in Paris. She also has lived in various states within
the U.S. (Smith, 2011a)
Supplemental
Material
Genre: Horror / Paranormal Romance
/ Dark Comedy / Crime Drama
Curriculum Ties: Cooking / Mythology
Booktalking Ideas: 1)
Can Quincie learn the identity of Vaggio’s murderer? 2) Will Quincie fall for
the mysterious Brad – or the allure of Kieren?
Reading Level: Grade 8 up – as assigned by School Library Journal (Amazon, 2011). The darker themes of the novel – kidnapping
and rampant death – make this a novel more for older teens. Yet, the interest in paranormal romance will
likely mean younger readers will, at the least, have a desire in reading the
book.
Challenge Issues and Defense: The book deals with a handful
of adult themes – from alcohol consumption – to language – to sexuality – to kidnapping
– to horror-themed violence. This is a
book that would have difficulty receiving placement in the children’s section
of a library, but overall, would fit reasonably well in the YA section of a
public library. It is difficult to
defend the book on artistic merit – for the inclusion of such themes. Perhaps by looking at the intentionality of
humor by the author would lessen the perceived “dark” quality of the novel.
Personal Reasons for Inclusion: I
wanted to include some novels which I didn’t enjoy – and this book represented
the antithesis to my joyful experience with the two books in the Hunger Games canon.
Last Thoughts
References:
Amazon.
(2011). Tantalize [Webpage].
Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Tantalize-Cynthia-
Leitich-Smith/dp/B003D7JSZU/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1
Smith, C.
L. (2011a). About the author: Cynthia Leitich Smith [Webpage]. Retrieved from
http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/CLS/about_cyn.html
Smith, C.
L. (20 October, 2011b). LIBR 265 [Class Interview]. Retrieved from
https://nexus.sjsu.edu/index.html
Wikipedia.
(2011). Cynthia Leitich Smith [Webpage]. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Cynthia_Leitich_Smith
Listening to (Music):
Artist – Katy Perry / Album – “Teenage Dream”
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