Title: Čistý
Author: Julianna Baggott
First published February 8, 2012
476 pages, Hardcover
ISBN: 9788074625541 (ISBN10: 8074625540)
Rating: 3.73
Overview
In the aftermath of the Great Disruption, the world has been reduced to ruins and those who survived have been left with scars, burns, and twisted bodies. Pressia has only ever known this life, hiding in the ruins with her grandfather and dreaming of a world that no longer exists.
But as she approaches the age where she must join the militia or become a target, Pressia knows she must escape. Meanwhile, Partridge has grown up inside the Dome, sheltered from the horrors of the outside world.
But he feels isolated and alone, haunted by the loss of his family and the oppressive regime inside the Dome. When a chance remark leads him to believe his mother may still be alive, Partridge risks everything to find her.
As their paths converge, Pressia and Partridge must navigate a dangerous and unpredictable world, where nothing is as it seems and survival is never guaranteed.
About the Author
Julianna Baggott is a successful author, known for her critically acclaimed and bestselling novels published under her own name as well as pen names Bridget Asher and N.E. Bode. Her recent novel, Harriet Wolf’s Seventh Book of Wonders, was recognized as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year in 2015, and her novel Pure, which is the first of a trilogy, was also acknowledged as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year in 2012 and won an ALA Alex Award.
Her work has been optioned by various companies like Fox2000, Nickelodeon/Paramount, and Anonymous Content and she currently has projects in development at Netflix, Paramount, Disney+, Lionsgate, and Warner Brothers. Julianna has over one hundred foreign editions of her novels published or forthcoming overseas.
Julianna began publishing short stories when she was only twenty-two and sold her first novel while still in her twenties. After receiving her M.F.A. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, she published her first novel, the national bestseller Girl Talk.
She then published The Boston Globe bestseller, The Miss America Family, and The Boston Herald Book Club selection, The Madam, which is an historical novel based on her grandmother’s life. She also co-wrote Which Brings Me to You with Steve Almond, which was a Best Book of 2006 (Kirkus Reviews) and has been optioned by Anonymous Content, and currently by BCDF, with a screenplay written by playwright Keith Bunin.
In addition to novels for adults, Julianna has also published award-winning novels for younger readers under the pen name N.E. Bode as well as her own name. Her seven novels for younger readers include The Anybodies trilogy, which was recognized by People Magazine as a summer reading pick alongside David Sedaris and Bill Clinton, a Washington Post Book of the Week, a Girl’s Life Top Ten, a Booksense selection, and was in development at Nickelodeon/Paramount.
Julianna also has an acclaimed career as a poet, having published four collections of poetry. Her poems have appeared in Poetry, The American Poetry Review, and Best American Poetry (2001, 2011, and 2012).
She is an associate professor at Florida State University’s College of Motion Picture Arts where she teaches screenwriting. From 2013-2017, she held the William H.P. Jenks Chair in Contemporary American Letters at the College of the Holy Cross.
Julianna and her husband, David Scott, co-founded the nonprofit organization Kids in Need – Books in Deed, which focuses on literacy and getting free books into the hands of underprivileged children in the state of Florida. David Scott is also her creative and business partner.
Julianna is a mother of four children, and her oldest daughter is also a published author.
Editoral Review
In “ist” (Pure), Julianna Baggott creates a vivid and harrowing dystopian world where survivors of a cataclysmic event must navigate the ruins of society. Published in 2012, this novel benefits from Baggott’s previous experience as a prolific writer of Young Adult fiction, and her skill with character and world-building is in full display.
The plot revolves around three main characters, Pressia, Partridge, and Bradwell, whose intertwined stories reveal the oppressive government, the resistance movements that aim to overthrow it, and the terrifying mutations that the survivors of the event have undergone. Pressia is a teenager marked by the scars of a deadly bomb, her hand fused to a doll’s head.
Partridge, the son of the authoritarian regime’s leader, seeks to discover his origins and escape from his father’s grasp. Bradwell, a former scientist turned rebel, struggles with his love for Pressia and his commitment to the resistance.
Baggott’s prose is vivid and lyrical, drawing from a rich palette of metaphors and images that evoke both the beauty and the horror of this world. She creates a seamless blend of science fiction and horror elements, where the grotesque mutations of the survivors serve as a reminder of the brutality of the event that caused their disfigurement.
The world-building is superb, Baggott showcasing her imaginative strengths with a remarkable attention to detail: from the fused objects that people carry as symbols of their resilience to the makeshift communities that struggle to survive in the aftermath of the disaster. At its core, “ist” is a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of overwhelming adversity.
Baggott’s characters are complex and vivid, their struggles and desires never reduced to mere archetypes. The novel explores themes of identity, family, loyalty, and sacrifice, and the morality of rebellion in the face of oppression.
Baggott’s treatment of these themes is nuanced and layered, refusing to offer easy answers or platitudes. If there is a weakness to the novel, it may be its pacing, which at times can lag or feel disjointed.
The novel is at its best when it focuses on the characters and their interactions rather than the plot twists or action sequences. Nevertheless, the flaws are minor, and Baggott’s world-building and imaginative prose elevate “ist” to a must-read work of dystopian fiction.
Readers who enjoy science fiction or dystopian fiction will find much to admire in “ist”. Baggott gives this genre a fresh and original twist, offering a remarkable feat of imagination and storytelling.
A haunting and deeply affecting read, “ist” is a triumph of speculative fiction, and one of the standout novels of the last decade. It is essential reading for anyone interested in how literature can explore the human condition in the face of unimaginable adversity.
Score: 4.5/5
