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Lawral
Posted May 14, 2010
Fabulous modernization of a classic story!
I can't unknow the story of Swan Lake, so I am not a good judge of how clear that story in in Amiri & Odette to the non-balletomane. I can, however, say that there are a lot of little touches that hark back to the ballet in beautiful ways, such as Odile's (who is never actually named in the book) black mask at Amiri's party, but nifty connections to the ballet are not the strongest part of this telling. What Myers does fantastically is really make this a story that isn't about princes and magic; he makes it real. The curse is drug addiction and the evil wizard, a dealer. This makes the cause and effect of Amiri's profession of love for Odile a bit nonsensical (Odette's addiction and debt to Big Red will not magically go away if Amiri loves her and only her, nor will she be trapped in that life with no possible means of escape if Amiri doesn't love her), but it also leaves room for non-magical consequences. There is no but-the-spell-said moment that makes Amiri's mistake irreparable. Just because the deal is broken, doesn't mean that the curse is everlasting or that Odette is doomed. Myers' telling makes way for a change in the ending.
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The artwork in Amiri & Odette is fabulous. It is dark and gritty and portends doom in a way that dozens of classical white tutus never could. The artist's note says that the collages that make up the illustrations were painted on slabs on asphalt. They are large and hardcore; each a complete work of art on its own. The texture of the asphalt shows through and Chinese food menus, feathers, pieces of jewelry and other street flotsam are used throughout. The feathers surrounding Odette as she tells Amiri about her entrapment make her look like both an angel and a beast, much like the swan-woman Prince Siegfried is initially afraid of in the original story, even if all the audience sees is a ballerina in white. Or a girl watching a basketball game.
Book source: Philly Free Library -
Reviewed by LadyJay for TeensReadToo.com
Amiri is treated like a prince in the Swan Lake Projects. His mother wants him to find a nice girl to settle down with, so she throws him a party to meet several eligible ladies. She warns Amiri to choose wisely.
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He sees Odette one day while playing basketball. She is beautiful, but somehow scarred. Odette is not allowed to love freely because of Big Red. She belongs to him - she is trapped. Amiri must find a way to break the spell Big Red has over Odette before it is too late.
AMIRI & ODETTE: A LOVE STORY is an interesting re-telling of the Swan Lake story. Set against the backdrop of the projects, Myers has taken a classical ballet and put an urban spin on it. Myers' writing flows, like lyrics to a rap song, across the page.
The paintings in this poem add to the grittiness and realism of the setting. Javaka Steptoe has used acrylic paints on huge slabs of asphalt. He then embellished the paintings with newspaper, feathers, plastic bags, and other items to give them a three-dimensional quality. The affect is absolutely stunning!
This is a great addition to Myers' already long list of writing accomplishments!