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The Panopticon (2012)

by Jenni Fagan(Favorite Author)

3.6 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0434021776 (ISBN13: 9780434021772)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

William Heinemann Ltd

review 1: For some reason, based on the description, I thought this was a suspense novel. It is definitely not that, but it *is* a poignant look at the juvenile justice system and how people do or don't survive their difficult circumstances. As a middle school teacher, I appreciated the idea of a narrator who would normally be (and is, in the world of the novel) labeled a stereotypical "difficult" child who is truly so much more if one is willing to look closer.
review 2: There's something really beautiful about the way this novel contructs ideas of empathy, particularly with regards to society's role re: empathy when it comes to the most downtrodden of us and how Fagan juxtaposes those constructs with this very powerful narrative of female friendship, a subject that get... mores explored far too little. The Panopticon is about a fifteen year old girl, in and out of trouble with the law her whole life, in spite of her good nature and principles, partially because she was born into circumstances that cause her to react violently to society and partially because her principles require her to stand up for her beliefs in ways that are not entirely legal. It's about the mental illness that is inborn, in Anais, our protagonist, and society. There's an incredible energy throughout that makes it compulsively readable, but ultimately might work against it. There are too many threads left loose at the end, and while the vagueness could be indicitave of Fagan wanting to say, "Hey, just because this is what's happening with Anais it doesnt mean that all the problems are solved, and the world suddenly stops," the problem is that that is exactly how it reads. It ends in a "Hey, just forget about all that other stuff," kind of way that leaves me unfulfilled. Still, an energetic and at times devastating read. less

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