Book Review of #2 Remembering the Titanic by Diane Hoh
Author: Diane Hoh
ISBN: 0-590-87585-x
Publisher: Scholastic
Part of a Series: Titanic Duology; prequel, Titanic the long night
Type of book: 1913, young adult, post traumatic stress disorder, Titanic, coping with tragedy
Year it was published: 1998
Summary:
It has been one year since that fateful night on the Titanic. For the survivors, it is a constant struggle with grief and shock, and thoughts of those who didn't survive.
Though he refuses to speak about the terrible night on the dark sea, Kati Hanrahan thinks Patrick "Paddy" Kelleher is happy. But Paddy can't stop thinking about what more he could have done to save his brother Brian's life.
Max has embraced life as an artist but he's losing patience with Elizabeth, who is having trouble finding her independence. When Elizabeth sees the dark brooding paintings that he's been working on furiously, she knows that he is wrestling with the same problems that she is.
Life for the Titanic survivors has been anything but easy. Will the pain and sadness of that disastrous night be with them forever?
Characters:
The most compelling character of the book is Elizabeth, and majority of it is written from her point of view. We do get glimpses into Max's and Katie's and sometimes even Paddy's points of views, but the author didn't let them have a lot of voice as she did Elizabeth. In someways she simplified and easily gave away Paddy's reasons for not talking to Katie about the night, and Max's reactions, besides what he had done after he survived, she kept hidden which is probably supposed to be a surprise for the readers. Nola, Elizabeth's mother also is a fascinating character at how much she controls and gets her way with Elizabeth, at least until the very end.
Theme:
(From the book, I can't remember what page number. Paraphrase.) Everyone suffers from the tragedy in a different way.
Plot:
This is in third person and primarily from Elizabeth's and Katie's points of views, although Elizabeth is given far more voice than Katie. The story flows naturally. I think I read this book first awhile ago, and although it can be thought of as stand-alone novel, reading Titanic: The Long Night will greatly increase the enjoyment for the readers.
Author Information:
Diane Hoh is the author of fifty-seven novels for young adults. She grew up in Warren, Pennsylvania but currently resides in Austin, Texas. Reading and writing are her favorite things, also gardening and grandchildren. (From goodreads.com)
Opinion:
I really have enjoyed reading the book, reading how survivors from Titanic: The Long Night have survived and how they are dealing with post traumatic stress disorders. Elizabeth is still trying to gain independence without breaking a promise to her father, Kathleen is deathly afraid of the underground and tight spaces, Paddy cannot write and finish the book, and Max and Nola are acting as if everything is normal. It's an interesting way to show consequences of that night and what it has done to the characters.
4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
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