The Young City
The Young City, by James Bow
Book 3 in the Unwritten Books trilogy. Reviews for the two previous books: The Unwritten Girl and Fathom Five.
Canadian/YA/speculative/historical
The Young City begins as Peter McAllister and Rosemary Watson are getting ready to head off to university. To head off, that is, to separate universities. They aren’t sure how they feel about this. The romance that got underway in Fathom Five, and was imagined even in The Unwritten Girl, has developed, to the point that Rosemary and Peter are thinking seriously of future marriage, and are worrying about the ramifications of separation at school.
While helping Rosemary’s brother move into his new apartment near the University of Toronto campus, Rosemary and Peter fall through a hole in his bedroom, and find themselves in an underground river. Climbing out of the river after trekking through the underground caverns for some time, they discover that they are still in Toronto, but it is a Toronto like nothing they could have imagined. Rosemary and Peter fall into Toronto in 1884!
It quickly becomes apparent that they aren’t going to be able to get back home easily, or the way they came. They have to find a way to make the situation work. And in this lies the true interest and excitement of this book.
The narrative has matured with the main characters. Where they were children in the first story, the action formed the basis of the tale. In the second, they were more concerned with their burgeoning feelings toward each other, and their adolescent fumblings joined the adventure as forming the basis of the story. In the third, Rosemary particularly, needs to face a great deal, and to find a way to grow into her situation. Thrown into 1884 society, she finds herself railing against the societal and moral norms of the day. Both characters need to find ways to come to terms with the fact that their old life might be gone forever, and that they might have to get used to living in 1884. For Rosemary, this means an end to her dreams of high level scientific research, and a life spent in dresses, cleaning, cooking, and assisting. It also brings much about their modern relationship into question, and forces them each to examine just what they want out of their life.
All that sounds rather heavy, but it isn`t. The adventure is still present, and is just as exciting as in the previous two entries to the series.
The Toronto described in the story is exciting, and in many ways, dangerous. It is unrecognizable yet familiar. I love to read stories of the history of the place in which I live. There is always something exciting to be learned, and it grounds the tale. In this story, the river into which Rosemary and Peter fall is Taddle Creek. The story takes place just as it is being buried. I had never heard of this creek, or if I had heard it mentioned, it hadn`t registered, because I didn`t have any point of reference for it. Since reading this book, I`ve heard of it a number of times. Once, in an environmental discussion group, while we were discussing how city life attempts to control water, from a person who had lived in a house much like Rosemary`s brother, which was built directly over the creek. Once today, as there was a music group with the name of Taddle Creek performing at a Doors Open venue. I feel like I have this wonderful new special knowledge of my city, and that is fabulous. Just what a novel like this should provide!
Highly recommended!
May 25, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Very cool sychronicity!
May 25, 2009 at 3:42 pm
there is also a toront-based literary mag called “taddle creek.”
and ignore the time-stamp on this!
May 26, 2009 at 7:24 am
Many thanks for this kind review. I’m really pleased you liked the book so.