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I wanted to like Variant, a dystopian novel by Robison Wells. After reading the positive reviews, I was excited, but alas, sometimes books that are too hyped don’t live up to the expectations the hype creates.
Summary
The basic story idea is excellent: there’s intrigue, conflict, and unanswered questions. The beginning of the book is spooky, a little creepy, and chilling. All good signs.
Benson Fisher, a boy without a family who bounces from one foster home to another, is accepted at Maxfield Academy, where he expects to get a fantastic education and gain some freedom and independence. When he arrives at the school, he discovers that the doors lock behind him; there are no supervising adults, and he is a prisoner. Like all the other students, Benson doesn’t have family or friend who will check up on him.
The suspense builds. There are classes without teachers, rules, and student factions, but the kids are on their own and regimented by unseen adults or a computer system–the reader isn’t entirely sure. Some of the students claim that those who don’t conform are killed. Again the reader doesn’t know if this is exaggerated or true. The school is dangerous, and there are many unexplained questions.
My Reactions
Until about halfway through the book, I was utterly enjoying the story and looking forward to finding out the secrets of Maxfield Academy. However, in the book’s second half, the plot begins to fall apart and doesn’t recover. Once the big secret was revealed, I expected the mystery to unfold and be solved or at least find answers to some of the pressing story questions. There was a brief moment when the “why” is hinted at, but there is never a satisfactory or logical explanation given.
There are so many holes in the story that the ending seems pointless and disjointed. The secret is intriguing and interesting. The desire to find out more kept me reading; however, once the plot began to unravel, it never recovered, and I became a frustrated reader. There is an abysmal lack of details, too many unanswered questions, and the end is abrupt and unsatisfactory. Because the end doesn’t give answers, the violence seems futile.
For me, the biggest disappointment was the last scene. It feels as if Wells borrowed from The Giver, which worked because Jonas wasn’t just escaping, he was saving his community and the child who would have died. But in Variant, Benson’s only goal is to escape, which in itself is okay, but there is no purpose, no hope, and most of all no reason for what happens. So, the ending wasn’t an “Oh, wow,” moment; it was a letdown.
5 Wins:
- It’s well written.
- The action scenes are fun, detailed, and exciting.
- It’s realistic about what might happen in today’s world if teens were trapped in a dangerous situation.
- The central idea behind the story is fascinating and could have been developed into a great story.
- At the beginning, the suspense is strong and builds, which kept me reading when I was impatient with the plot. I thought the story might redeem itself in the end.
5 Fails:
- Benson is one-dimensional: he doesn’t grow; his only desire is to escape; especially at the end, he doesn’t grapple with the senselessness of the situation.
- In the second half, the plot loses momentum and logic, creating gaping holes in what should have been a great story.
- The surprise ending wasn’t a surprise; it felt contrived and rehashed.
- The big secret isn’t explained or developed.
- There aren’t logical or believable reasons for the events at the end of the story.
I felt Well’s wanted to leave things hanging for a second book; however, he lost me as a reader. I felt no desire to read the second book.
Yellow Cautionary Lights Flashing
There are a lot of people who like this book. You might be one of them. For those who are thinking about reading Variant, consider of my review as flashing caution lights: bumpy plot ahead.
If you are one of the people who like this book, leave a comment and convince me to reconsider. If you’re in my camp or if you haven’t read the book yet, I’d love to hear from you too.
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