Scribe Is An Adjective is our acknowledgement that for some writing is not a pastime- it is who we are. We will be highlighting authors (past and present) who make a difference in literature. Writers who inspire, challenge and captivate us with their words.
Is everyone aware of the new craze that has been sweeping over literature? Dystopian novels are set in post apocalyptic worlds that attempt to answer the what ifs. Tahereh Mafi is a 24 year old female that took a swing at it with her debut novel Shatter Me and left me impressed with her poetic prose, unique premise, strong characters and an absolutely heartwarming romance. Shatter Me is the first of a trilogy and below are two excerpts of her novel that I particularly enjoyed.
“I’m wearing dead cotton on my limbs and a blush of roses on my face.
His eyes scan the silhouette of my structure and the slow motion makes my heart race. I catch the rose petals as they fall from my checks, as they float around the frame of my body, as they cover me in something that feels like the absence of courage.
Stop looking at me, is what I want to say.
Stop touching me with your eyes and keep your hands to your sides and please and please and please-
“What’s your name?” The tilt of his head cracks gravity in half.
I’m suspended in the moment. I blink and bottle my breaths.
He shifts and my eyes shatter into thousands of pieces that ricochet around the room, capturing a million snapshots, a million moments in time. Flickering images faded with age, frozen thoughts hovering precariously in dead space, a whirlwind of memories that slice through my soul. He reminds me of someone I used to know.”
“I sit by the window and watch the rain and the leaves and the snow collide. They take turns dancing in the wind, performing choreographed routines for unsuspecting masses. The soldiers stomp stomp stomp through the rain, crushing leaves and fallen snow under their feet. Their hands are wrapped in gloves wrapped around guns that could put a bullet through a million possibilities. They don’t bother to be bothered by the beauty that falls from the sky. They don’t understand the freedom of feeling the universe on their skin. They don’t care.
I wish I could stuff my mouth full of raindrops and fill my pockets full of snow. I wish I could trace the veins in a fallen leaf and feel the wind pinch my nose.”
I found Mafi’s writing style to be poetic and beautiful. Don’t you agree? I was in awe and captivated with her use of words. It’s not every day one opens a novel and finds such beauty in the language. The words she uses to paint imagery are unlike anything I have ever encountered. She has a beautiful way of expressing herself and it is one of my biggest attractions to this novel. Overall, it’s a great read. It is fast paced, romantic, exciting and always unpredictable. This is a book I truly recommend. You can check out the synopsis and other’s opinions of this novel here on Goodreads.
© 2013 Seven Magazine
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