Bachorz, P. Candor
Egmont, 2009. 249 pages.
$16.95 ISBN 978-1-60684-012-2
Respectful space in every place.
Academics are the key to success.
Never keep secrets from your parents.
These phrases sound like something the average teen would hear on a
regular basis as adults try to influence their behavior. While
children may not immediately obey these words, they do listen. But
what if they had no choice but to listen? What if these messages were
not coming from their parents' mouths, but instead being delivered
subliminally, every second of every day?
In the town of Candor, that is exactly what life is like. Well-to-do
families move in, hoping that the messages will help mold their
children into something "better". It only takes a matter of days
before the child starts to spout these phrases. Once cherished items,
like skateboards, art supplies, and M&Ms, are thrown in the garbage
by their owners. The town is quiet, safe, and seemingly perfect since
all of its citizens must obey the Messages.
Oscar Banks is the son of Candor's creator. As the Messages will tell
you, he is a superior person. He does well in school, participates in
extracurricular activities, and even has a perfect girlfriend, Mandi.
But no one knows the real Oscar. He was in Candor from the start, and
he's managed to figure out how the Messages work. He can't avoid them
completely, but he has created a set of special messages just for
himself, to help him remember who he really is. He also creates
messages for kids that are willing and able to pay his high fee to get
out. He has managed to build his own little world inside right under
his father's nose, and no one knows about it but him.
Then one night, Oscar meets a mysterious girl. She's clearly new in
town, still wearing her dark clothes and a collection of earrings.
She's also snuck in a can of orange spray paint. He is amazed by the
spirit this girl possesses and is drawn to her. He slips her a music
CD, filled with special Messages to keep her from changing into a
brainwashed Candor teen. He doesn't tell her that, of course. Who
would believe that they were being controlled by subliminal Messages?
Plus, he hasn't quite figured out what he wants to do with her - should
he smuggle her out of Candor and out of his life? Or should he keep
her in the town so they can be friends...or more?
Pam Bachorz's Candor is a society that feels eerily plausible.
Oscar Banks narrates the story in a natural voice, explaining to the
reader how the Messages and the town work as a whole. Oscar starts out
somewhat self-centered (as anyone in his situation might be, since he
is the only teen not repeating the Messages) but as the story goes on,
he begins to realize a bit more about himself, Candor, and the what the
world outside must be like. He starts to see how much of a personality
can really be suppressed by the Messages, and how far his father will
go to keep the town safe and sterile.
Candor would be a fitting book suggestion for a fan of Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series
- the bubbly Pretties and the Candor teens have a lot in common. But
even if they are not familiar with that series, readers will enjoy this
well-written, fast-paced (and other hyphenated words) story.
Originally posted on orangerful.vox.com
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