Madapple

Meldrum, Christina. Madapple. 2008. Alfred A. Knoff, 410 pages. $16.99 ISBN: 978-0375851766 tr.

Plot Summary:

At 15 Aslaug has spent her entire life being shielded from the world by her mother Maren.  Aslaug has never spoken to a man, has no idea who her father is or any of her other family.  Aslaug and her mother live off the land in Maine, collecting edible roots and plants to feed themselves.  When Aslaug wakes one morning to find her mother dead she is at a loss of what to do.  Aslaug discovers that she has an aunt, Sara, and cousins, Susanne and Rune, living in a nearby town and goes to live with her newly found family.  Aslaug discovers more about her history and family than she could have imagined as the secret of her paternity and is revealed.

Critical Review:

This book is intense and incredibly hard to put down.  It might be hard for some readers to follow the change in the timeline from chapter to chapter, but the shift from when Aslaug’s mother dies and the murder trial four years later keeps readers on the edge.  It is hard to imagine naïve, sheltered Aslaug as a murderer at first but, as family secrets are revealed the reader beings to wonder if she really could have done it.  Readers should beware that Madapple does discuss some sensitive topics including, sexual abuse, incest, and murder, however, Meldrum’s debut novel is an original and haunting book 

teens will not want to put down.

Genre:

Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Mystery

Interest Level:

Grades 9 and up

Similar Books:

Jellicoe Road Melina Marchetta

Gathering Blue Lois Lowery

Subjects/Themes:

Mothers and Daughters

Murder Trials

Virgin Birth

Religion

Awards/Honors:

Booklist Best Books for Young Adults 2009

Booklist Editor’s Choice Books for Youth 2008

Cybil Award 2008 Finalist

Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People 2009

William C. Morris Award 2009 Finalist

YALSA Best Books for Young Adults 2009

Author’s Website:

http://www.christinameldrum.com/

Annotation:

Sheltered from the outside world 15 year old Aslaug goes to live with family she never knew she had after her mother dies and becomes entrenched in her mysterious family history.

Book Talking Ideas:

Madapple is for teen who enjoy dark, mesmerizing mysteries.  Naïve Aslaug has been sheltered from the modern world, until her mother dies under mysterious circumstances and she goes to live with an aunt and cousins she has never met.  Alternating chapters describe Aslaug’s life with her family and the future where she is on trial for the murder of her mother, aunt and cousin. 

Why I chose to include this book:

I chose to include this book, despite the plethora of mature topics because Madapple is an extremely well written and unpredictable mystery that kept me interested up until the last page. 

Potential Challenges:

Madapple does include references to several mature topics including incest, rape, teen pregnancy, and substance abuse.  Though there are no graphic sexual scenes some parents may feel this book is unsuited for the teen age group.