The AP Debate

Throughout the time I have read this novel,  I have had an internal debate whether it is AP worthy or not. Last week, after reading a peer's blog I became convinced mine was in fact AP worthy. However, as I continue to read, I continue to debate. At points, it seems like a deep novel about an adolescent who has abandonment issues. However, at other times it seems like an inappropriate novel that follows the random adventures of a youngster.

At this point, I have read three-quarters of my novel and I currently do not believe it is AP worthy. That said, the novel moves at a fast pace and often the end of a novel reveals the meaning of the work as a whole. So, while I currently do not believe it is AP worthy, I hold my tongue as there are almost one hundred pages left.

Now comes the difficult part, justifying my decision. The best way to put it is that the book is an entertaining read, but has little intellectual meaning. The novels that we have read throughout the year, such as Brave New World and The Handmaid's Tale, have had complex meanings. As I read those novels, it was very clear the author was trying to send a message and it was clear what that message was. In Rule of the Bone, this is not the case. As I read, I continuously search for deeper meaning but I cannot pin-point the author's message.

It is clear it is a coming of age novel as Bone tries to find his "I-Self." However, the route he takes to do so is, well, ridiculous. It is both unrealistic and forced. One day he's in New York living on a bus, next he takes a plane to Jamaica, and soon thereafter he magically happens to run into his long-lost father. The book is supposed to be a "modern" version of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and in an attempt to do so I find the plot incredibly cliché. In order to demonstrate and affirm Bone's abandonment and trust issues, Banks (the author) follows a predictable pattern. As soon as Bone becomes happy, an unfortunate event (either someone leaving him or a friend betraying him) occurs and Bone is once again unhappy.

Additionally, Bone is the only complex character in the novel, if that. His actions and decisions can be analyzed, which always leads back to abandonment and trust issues. The rest of the characters are two-dimensional and almost no characters (other than Bone) stay in the novel for extended periods of time. I-Man is only other character who has remained in the novel for long and the author reveals very little information about him. Other than that, Russ, Buster, and Froggy were only involved for short periods of time and although his parents play an important part of Bone's identity, they are not important as characters themselves.

Lastly, there is little importance in the stylistic aspects. Banks writes the novel using poor grammar and run-on sentences, which represents the fact that the story is being told in the eyes of a fourteen year old boy. Other than that, there is little meaning the style the novel is written.

In conclusion, I think this novel is a fun book to read that includes sex, swears, and drug use but I do not believe it is of literary merit. The plot seems like an impractical mimic of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Banks leaves very little to be analyzed. Because of this, I do not believe it should be added to the AP curriculum nor do I believe it is AP worthy.