Blessed are the Misfits
A review of Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time.
Personal rating: 5/5
Recommended if you like:
- The Catcher in the Rye
- The Neverending Story
- The Little Prince
- The Gray House by Mariam Petrosyan
- His Dark Materials (with a caveat! See below.)
If you're a misfit, if you're different, if you stand out, if you are born with a strong stubbornness, with a brain that works differently, with a keen eye that most people lack, if you find it hard to control your anger, pain, joy, love, if you are constantly told that you're “too sensitive” or “too out-of-place” or “thinking too much” …
(If you're like me …)
… You would love this book.
A Wrinkle in Time is a book I've planned to read for a long time, and finally found a free afternoon where I can safely finish it with zero interruptions. I was told that it would stay in my mind like Earthsea — and it did. It is undeniably a part of the “core library” of myself now, a “building block of my psyche”, much like The Last Unicorn and A Wizard of Earthsea and Never Let Me Go.
This is “the nicest thing that's happened to me in a long time” (to quote a character from the book).
On the surface, this book is about a desperate effort of two siblings, with the company of a friend, looking for their lost scientist father. But it is more than that: this search is a battle in the cosmic war between Light and Darkness. If you're already dozing off from how cliché it is — relax! It's different from what you might have typically heard on this theme. Unlike a war between two nations, with both sides marching in formations that look alike, wielding weapons that look alike, preaching ideologies that look alike … what you will see in Wrinkle is a genuine interaction between two sides that can't be further apart, can't be more different.
Some philosophers have proposed that “only good exists; evil is the absence of good”. This might not make much sense verbally or logically, but it's a truth to everyone who has viscerally experienced it, and it is more nuanced than a simple saying that “good is order; evil is chaos”. Very often, a rigid framework is evil, whereas letting things be is good. This book takes quite some time to depict how chilling a “perfect city” can be; different readers would see its metaphoric shadow in different organizations — to me, for example, it's the schools and their robot-producing assembly lines. You will see different nuances throughout the book, including an image of how “being harmed by darkness” feels like — something that can be most understood by those who experienced it first-hand.
Children's literature is often misunderstood as “watered-down life lessons”; many imagine them to be pulp reading material to be tossed to children to keep them engaged as parents focus on working or watching sports. Just like children's food must be of utmost quality and safety, the best children's (and young adult) literature must have an unwaveringly true moral/spiritual core, a philosophy of unapologetic integrity, an emotional landscape that is fearlessly diverse and multicolored, and an intellectual depth that treats readers as full and complete in character and dignity. A Wrinkle in Time is a pinnacle: it introduces readers to think about the universe, to understand the conflict between forces of abstract ideas, and to know one's own meaning and purpose in life. Proper children's literature must be enjoyable by adults, and Wrinkle clearly excels here. In the afterword (in the edition I have), it is revealed that L'Engle intended to write this story for herself (her own satisfaction) first and foremost, not a “fantasy novel” or “children's book”. This is the original cause of many successful works, which is also what I strive for too (in my personal programming projects, for example).
One aspect that I cannot avoid in this review is the religious theme throughout the book. Some readers might become skeptical or alert upon first sight of a biblical quote or a mention of the concept of angels. But I would like to assure you: my experience with this story is overwhelmingly pleasant. A Wrinkle in Time is fiercely anti-dogmatic, radically loving, and against blind submission. L'Engle's work, as well as her beliefs, have been criticized by both religious people (as “heretical”) and nonreligious people (as “too religious”, or “outdated”). But if you're an open mind like I am, who enjoyed both Lewis' Narnia and Pullman's His Dark Materials (yes, it's possible), as well as Zelanzy's Lord of Light and Le Guin's Earthsea cycle, you'd very likely find a strong resonance with this book.
You are likely quite familiar with the concept that “Love is the strongest force in the Universe” (in fact, you'd be a rare unicorn if you've never heard about it!). It's so cliché, so cheesy, so everywhere that many would already roll their eyes when they hear it. Yet this idea shows up everywhere still, refusing to die. Why? There are many explanations: it's cozy, it gives you chills, it's marketable, it's a safe bet … it's essential for social cohesion and survival … But the most important reason is very simple: It's the truth.
τὸ πνεῦμα ὅπου θέλει πνεῖ καὶ τὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ ἀκούεις, ἀλλ' οὐκ οἶδας πόθεν ἔρχεται καὶ ποῦ ὑπάγει· οὕτως ἐστὶν πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος.
The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.
— Gospel of John
Blessed are the Misfits, for from the stagnation that is Death, they will save the World.