The Subtle Knife: His Dark Materials, Book 2, by Philip Pullman

The Subtle Knife: HDM book 2; Philip Pullman; YA/Sci-fi/Fantasy/Awesome, 322 pages

The Subtle Knife, or How To Slowly Bleed To Death Over The Course Of A Young Adult Book, continues  Pullman's Soul-Punchingly Satisfying His Dark Materials series, which, okay, yes Pullman is making jabs at (monotheist, Abrahamic) religion, and in this book that is really difficult to deny. However, it's my opinion that the overarching themes of Pullman's work go beyond inflammatory railing against Christianity, as various detractors like to brand this series. What Pullman does here is deconstruct, with painful, emotional precision, the societal structures and assumptions through which some groups of people are empowered and others are controlled and opressed, and prevented from thinking freely. What Philip Pullman has written is an adventurous, engaging manifesto for self-determination. Because the inspirational framework he's using is Paradise Lost, the power structure being critiqued is the alternate universe Christian church.

That long, wordy disclaimer aside, this book is engaging, suspenseful, and deeply sad. If you have ever cared for a loved one with a mental illness, or suffered through one yourself, there is no way you will not cry over the course of this novel. Also, there are certainly some parts of the story (one long, drawn out, horryfing part) that get quite gory and disturbing, which makes the book (potential ideological discomfort aside) a bit iffy for young readers. There's also veiled metaphorical sexual themes, which, upon this reading, made me put the book down and go OH MY GOD WHAT AUGH. But! it should be noted that when I read this book as a 13-year-old wee one, I had no earthly idea what was going on. And I grew up watching National Geographic documentaries and was a pretty well-informed 13-year-old. Again, that's one of Pullman's big themes in the series: innocence versus experience. Several times adult characters freak out about the implications of some event or other, and the chief protagonists, the children, have no idea what's going on. Growing up: It's hard and no one understands. But the story is amazing.

I have rambled on for long enough! I love this book, even more the second time around, and now I'm going to rush on to the conclusion. All right!