Families can be messy. These days we're familiar with the terms divorce, remarriage, step- mother, father, children, brother/sister, etc... Families are modge-podge creations like a scrapbook (that may or may not be bulging at the seams).
The family situations in Island Whispers are mixed as well. Angelica has just lost her father, but for a long time she grew up with a single parent (since her mother died while she was a baby). Monica still has two parents and extended family who are involved in her life. Adam lost his mother when he was young and has a mixed relationship with his father. Lastly, Grant comes from an interesting family situation that we learn more about in the story.
For this post, I'm going to focus on Grant and the vampires.
If you haven't read Island Whispers, let me warn you now - there will be spoilers. I can't delve into Grant's family situation and not reveal things that we learn about in the book. So if you prefer to have your stories unspoiled before you read them, stop here. Don't click "read more."
Thank you.
And now, for those who have read the book or don't mind spoilers, let's begin:
Grant's known family in the very beginning is composed of his mother (Adina), his brother (Ivan), his cousin (Lisa), his Aunt Trish, his Uncle Eddie, his grandparents and his step-father (David).
However, Grant isn't aware that David isn't his real father until page 56. It's fairly early on in the book, but it's quite an eyeopener for Grant. He has always felt that he can't speak to David or relate to him. Grant has also realized that the way David treats his brother is different.
Parents are what they are, but not all accept children that are not their biological progeny. Every family situation is different and for Grant, he's always felt like a bit of an outsider.
This is when he learns that his father belonged to another clan and so did his mother. This other clan is known for its bloodthirsty actions and enjoying the hunt as a sport for amusement.
In Island Whispers, both clans have access to "blood wells" or magical wells that always have a fresh supply of blood to keep the vampires alive. However, one side only uses their well and the other prefers to make fresh kills.
It's no wonder that Grant begins to question whether he is a monster because of his heritage. It's that nature vs nurture debate coming up again. Are we shaped by how we are socialized or do our genes play a role in who we become?
Many children want to feel a connection with their biological parents, they may even go out and search for the answers. Grant does just that after he finds out the truth. He wants to know what his father was like and he wants to learn whether that means he'll be similar to his father.
By the way, Grant would be considered a teenager so the identity formation that most teenagers are going through is something that he is experiencing too. He needs to figure out who he is and for that to happen, he wants to find out more about his father.
Unfortunately, Grant's father died in an attack on the other clan. This makes Grant frustrated and hurt. Can you miss someone you never met? Perhaps it's the loss of an opportunity and a chance to get to know his father that really stings.
Doubt can take root when dealing with these revelations, and doubt does take root in Grant as he struggles to come to terms with his identity. He wants to know why his mother hid this information from him and he wants to know whether his mother actually loved his father.
When you're growing up, your parent can be your anchor. Early childhood is defined by our attachment to our parents. Children can be well adapted and respond to the loss of parents with despair and then joy at the reunion - or - children can be uncaring at the presence or absence of their caregiver. Grant has grown up with his mother and David his whole life. He feels attached to his mother and has fond memories, but his distance with David has always made him feel unwanted. Now he finds out that he lived a lie, but there is no other anchor for him to reach for. This causes his cognitive dissonance.
He runs away only to meet Trina, Viktor and Romulus (three vampires from the bloodthirsty clan). They know his father and so with some hesitation, he joins them to learn more about the parent he never knew.
I'll end it here, but hopefully your thoughts have been sent a-spinning and you're considering the different ways families are formed as well as the struggles of identity formation in young adulthood.
No comments:
Post a Comment