Glory O'Brien's History of the Future
Never in my wildest dreams, did I see where this book was headed. It was incredible, it was weird, and it was like getting an unplanned gift all in one. Both of the main characters had me captivated as their stories were unique, and here they were, friends living right across the street from one another, where their lives intersected almost daily. As their journey started down the path of twisted and bizarre, I began to wonder if perhaps it was all an illusion and if so, how would it all end? How could that mummified bat have such a dramatic effect on these two girls? Where does A.S. King come up with this stuff? Ellie has quit public school as she is now taught on the commune which is right across the street from Glory’s house. Since her mother’s death, Glory feels alone living now only with her father. With her best friend no longer attending school with her, many things are changing in her life. Glory is resentful of her mother’s death and she’s ashamed of her father. Glory and Ellie mix the powder of a mummified bat which has died on Ellie’s porch into their beers and immediately they both begin to experience bat vision. Bat vision, the ability to see into other’s infinities. Only the two girls experience two different views of bat vision, even when they view the same individual. Glory’s view and information that she gathers from individuals allows her to see the future of the world in a different light whereas the view and information that Ellie sees is mundane info. What kind of bat makes you do this? Was Glory right in her thinking of who this bat was? I was amazed and fascinated at this part of the book for I wanted to know if this was really happening or if this was an illusion or was the author going to spin off onto another direction? I was all in and where the book took me, was more than I ever expected. I don’t feel that this novel will be for everyone as some individuals will be shaking their heads believing it is too far out there for them but for me, it was definitely something far-reaching and something, well….you just never know what might happen when you open up a book.
