Madapple

When I first heard about Madapple, my reaction was basically, “Well who would ever want to read that?” This book sounded really crazy, and I heard from quite a few reviewers that it was disturbing and/or nasty. In the end, I decided to read Madapple because it sounded so weird and different.

And yes, Madapple is very odd. While I was reading this book, I got this very surreal vibe, like the entirety of Madapple takes place inside a dream. It was just so out there, so strange. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s very interesting to read a book that seems to be in some alternate reality.

The story itself was also unusual. Among other things, Madapple dealt with murder, incest, immaculate conception, and botany. Unexpected combination, yes. Meldrum alternated her chapters between scenes from Aslaug’s point of view and courtroom dialogue, where Aslaug is being tried for murder. I’m not one of past/present split narratives, but I think that worked in Madapple.

However, I only had one big problem with Madapple, and that was the courtroom scenes. They were straight dialogue, no speaker tags or description, and very monotonous. Initially, I thought those parts were interesting, but over time they began to grate on me, since every other line was “Objection. Leading.” or “Objection. Speculation.” I mean, yes, that is how a real trial goes, but I started cringing every time one of the attorneys made an objection. It might have been too much.
Madapple’s chief strength was in the way Christina Meldrum let the story unfold. I never felt like Aslaug was leading the reader along, showing me things with a direct and obvious purpose. Her story was very simply told, which worked rather well, given that a lot of the subject matter presented was a little far-fetched.

There aren’t many YA books out there that take immaculate conception seriously, you know.

As a character, Aslaug was a bit too dreamy. Her mother had kept her inside their house all her life, and she’d never met another person except for her mother until after her death. Her approach to life was very naïve and sometimes confusing.
All the characters, in general, seemed to be too extreme. The very (VERY) deveout charismatic pentacostal aunt, the female cousin, Sanne, who jumped on board the virgin birth bandwagon; even Rune, the male cousin, had traces of fantasy about him.

Like I said, Madapple read like a very surreal dream. A good, amazing dream with an unspeakably awesome ending, but still a dream. These types of books aren’t usually my thing, but I was just really impressed with the way Meldrum related her tale, and at times, with her vivid and beautiful turn of phrase.

Reader reviewed by EmilyRuth

Aslaug has lived alone with her mother almost all her life. So when

 something happens to her mother, and Aslaug is accused, she runs away to find her aunt. But things are different than Aslaug expected. New problems arise, new temptations, and Aslaug must figure out how to deal with them all, and ultimately, how to separate the truth and the lies.

Madapple, Christina Meldrum's debut novel, was in a word, weird. It was so weird. But that doesn't mean I didn't like it. Meldrum's style is brilliant, and I found the different point of views to bring a certain mysterious quality that wouldn't otherwise be there. Madapple has its own feeling to it, unlike any other book I've read. 

I would have expected this book to be written in first person, because of all the focus on the feelings of Aslaug, but I must applaud Meldrum's ability to keep it in third person and still bring in vast emotions. Aslaug is always a mystery, always making you think. In truth, the readers don't figure out what is true and what is false until the last, like 50 pages!

Which brings me to this-moments of Madapple will bore you. The perspective of the interviews/whatever they're called for Aslaug's case will be annoying with all the "objection"s. It's neat at first, but then it does get a little annoying, but if you suffer through that little dip in the middle and make it to the end, you won't be sorry.

There were moments in Madapple when my jaw dropped and a "wow" came out. It's stunning how Meldrum can surprise her readers, yet keep the storyline so intact. It's strange. It's beautiful.

Rating: 4 Stars

Clean?: Some language, some sexuality

Length: 407 pages

Most Like: Tender Morsels, by Margo Lanagan

Reprinted from my blog: http://ayecaptain.blogspot.com

Reader reviewed by An_d

Christina Meldrum's writing style kept me glued to the pages throughout the whole novel.  I was entranced with her lyrical writing.  The beauty of the language.  I was having a hard time, however, enjoying the actual story.   The story was strange; weird, at best.  I found myself becoming frustrated by it, but at the same time, I wanted to continue reading!  Then on the final page, emotion overcame me and I didn't know if I should scream, cry, kick the book across the room or just regret reading it.   There is no way that I can convey the emotions that came to mind at different points during this novel.  It is hard to describe it and for this, I can say that I was overwhelmed.  Questions of religion, life, growing up, incest, child abuse, drugs and just plain, strange subjects fill this book.  If you are up for a challenge in your reading, this would be a definite read.  I gave this book 4 stars for the writing STYLE, not the story and if one book can conjure so many emotions, it deserves at least a 4 out of 5.  I did not like the story, I did not like many of the characters, but the author is definitely gifted.  I will definitely read her next novel to simply enjoy her writing.  I recommend this book to 15 year olds and up.  It has some serious adult themes, drug use, incest and sex issues and a bit of language.  

Reader reviewed by ambeen

Madapple is truly a very different sort of novel from what I'm used to reading. I really enjoyed it, though, finding myself getting wrapped up in the story, desperate to know more.

Each chapter alternates between the past events and the present jury trial. I really liked this aspect because it gave us a glimpse of what would be happening in the future chapters. Those events would then turn out to be totally different from what I was expecting from the information given during the trial chapters. I thought this was clever and an interesting new way to tell a story.

While I enjoyed the trial chapters, some of the legal jargon during the objections from the lawyers was confusing and I wasn't sure how it fit with what the witness was testifying. It didn't really affect the reading, but was just a minor annoyance that I wasn't able to fully grasp what was going on during the trial.

The characters in the novel were another part I thought was executed really well. While I hated pretty much every character apart from Aslaug (the main character) and Phalia, I thought they were well written and developed. I was able to understand why they were all a bit psychotic along with their extreme behaviors, even while hating them for it.

All in all, a wonderful first novel. I can't wait to see what Christina gives us next. She really is an author to look out for with her originality and great writing style. I literally ate up this 400 page book in 2 days.

Reader reviewed by ambeen

Madapple is truly a very different sort of novel from what I'm used to reading. I really enjoyed it, though, finding myself getting wrapped up in the story, desperate to know more.

Each chapter alternates between the past events and the present jury trial. I really liked this aspect because it gave us a glimpse of what would be happening in the future chapters. Those events would then turn out to be totally different from what I was expecting from the information given during the trial chapters. I thought this was clever and an interesting new way to tell a story.

While I enjoyed the trial chapters, some of the legal jargon during the objections from the lawyers was confusing and I wasn't sure how it fit with what the witness was testifying. It didn't really affect the reading, but was just a minor annoyance that I wasn't able to fully grasp what was going on during the trial.

The characters in the novel were another part I thought was executed really well. While I hated pretty much every character apart from Aslaug (the main character) and Phalia, I thought they were well written and developed. I was able to understand why they were all a bit psychotic along with their extreme behaviors, even while hating them for it.

All in all, a wonderful first novel. I can't wait to see what Christina gives us next. She really is an author to look out for with her originality and great writing style. I literally ate up this 400 page book in 2 days (technically 3 but since I didn't really read the day inbetween, I don't count it :P ).