Oreo by Fran Ross, first published in 1974, follows 16-year-old Christine Clark on her quest to find her estranged father in New York City. Christine isn't a normal teen, and throughout the story she uses superhuman and heroic means to get past all obstacles. This is not coincidence, as Oreo employs the myth of Theseus for its plot, with Christine as the character of Theseus. This convention makes Oreo quite different from other coming of age novels, and more like the story of a Greek hero. When the novel begins, Christine is ready to take on the world. She is already, in many ways an adult. Rather than going from child to adult, Christine goes as an adult into the world looking for her father and therefore, her birth.
While having a main character who doesn't change during the book might seem boring, Ross creates a story that is utterly unforgettable. As Christine journeys to and within New York City, she leaves a clear mark on those she encounters. Instead of allowing herself to be changed by the world, she instead changes those around her, setting this book apart from other coming of age novels.
If you like American Gods and/or Percy Jackson, or you just want a slightly strange but completely outstanding read, I would recommend Oreo.
This sounds really interesting. You say that Christine is "ready to take one the world" at the beginning of the book, and that is not the focus of the coming of age arc. You then say that the main character doesn't change. I would be interested to know whether you think there is no emotional growth for the character, because coming of age does not necessarily have to be all about independence right, it can also be about emotional maturity and growth. Either way this book sounds like a cool and unconventional coming of age story as well as creative and cool.
ReplyDeleteI find it really interesting how Christine starts as an adult or at least someone with independence, because we usually think of coming-of-age stories as someone gaining independence or becoming an adult. I also find it interesting that her coming-of-age is actually changing the people around her instead of being changed herself. I've always thought of it as inner change, so I'd be interested to read the book and see how it works.
ReplyDeleteThe way you describe this story, it almost seems like the opposite of coming-of-age. Instead of a character reconciling the future as they grow up, she seems to be reconciling her past. Despite that, I imagine this process of coming to terms with a part of your life, whether past, present, or future, would bring about similar feelings and experiences.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds really intriguing! It certainly seems like Oreo stands out from other books in the coming-of-age genre, as most are centered around the protagonist's growth going forward, and not the past. However, one thing I like about the coming-of-age genre is that everyone's stories and experiences are unique, meaning that dealing with affairs from the past may be crucial to a protagonist's coming-of-age. The modern-day mythology aspect of this book is also interesting, and I'm curious about how this plays out.
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