More Than This is the epitome of Young Adult fiction. A dystopian novel covering themes of sexuality, philosophy, technology and religion, all with a thrilling backdrop. This book was a pleasant surprise, and well worth putting the time aside to read.
Revolving around the thoughts of main character, Seth, we meet him as he's committing suicide by plunging himself into the ocean. We don't know why, all we know is that he's dying. He wakes up in England (he lives in America), in a house he hasn't lived in for several years. He's lying semi-naked on the pavement outside his house. Everything surrounding him is overgrown, dilapidated and deserted.
Drifting in and out of consciousness for a few days, he moves around the house and discovers it's exactly as it was when he lived here, with the furniture that his family took to America with him still in the house, along with the painful reminders of why the left England in the first place.
The chapters jump between Seth exploring the strange place in which he's woken up, and him enduring flashbacks to his old life in America which led to his suicide.
Ness writes an absorbing journey of teenage exploration, we find out why Seth felt the need to commit suicide, and how he reacts to being trapped in his own idea of hell. He soon discovers he's not as deserted as he initially thought, and he finds out what has happened to his family.
We see Seth as he discovers his true self, discovers where he is, and discovers how he can fix the wrongs he's done.
Stop reading now if you don't want to read the following spoilers...
Sexuality
We find out about a third of the way into the book that Seth is gay, and prior to his suicide, he was forced to 'come out' to his entire school in a horrible way. He lost the only person he felt that loved him for who he was and we see how he struggles to come to terms with firstly the loss, and secondly, his fault in the situation.
The way Ness has thought about the extent to which this virtual world has taken over our life is genius and portrays a world which would not be surprising at some point in the future.
The way Ness approaches a problem which is at the forefront of a lot of teenagers lives is clever and sensitive. He doesn't make a big deal out of Seth's sexuality, but focuses instead on how the people surrounding Seth handled his sexuality; particularly his mother and his friends and the effect that this had on Seth.
Philosophy
Seth wakes up, not knowing where he is and we follow him as he comes up with many different ideas as to how he got there and where he is. He starts to wonder whether he's stuck inside his own mind, and he's controlling what happens and when just by thinking things; for example, he wonders if there are any animals where he is, and some foxes appear. As he starts to run towards his death, for the second time, he is saved moments before he dies by two new characters, who before long become his friends in the strange world he's living in. He even tells them of his thoughts on how he conjured them up to save his life, and how they're a figment of his imagination.
This journey and realisation shows how self centred Seth is, but also the strength he holds within his mind, and how he is reluctant to rely on other people. By the end of the book, we never find out whether or not his theory was correct (hence why we need a sequel!), but it definitely added a depth to the story as we didn't know as much as Seth didn't know.
Technology
Seth finds a 'coffin' in his bedroom, which he soon figures out is what he came out of. After meeting his friends, he finds out that the whole world was put into these coffins to live out an alternative life. A life that was ultimately better than the one they were living in previously. Initially, they went 'online' and 'offline' and lived between their lives, but before long the population moved permanently 'online', with only the janitors left behind to ensure they stayed there. They had pipes to feed and water them, pipes to remove their waste, and the technology became so advanced that women were able to give birth in the real world, and for it to be emulated in the online world.
This exploration of an 'online' and 'offline' world is an exaggerated version of how we live today. Social media is such a huge part of our lives, and it gives us the opportunity to portray a perfect version of ourselves. Seth was disconnected from the online world, as were his friends, but as they discover when and why their families decided to go online, they find out more and more secrets abot their lives. Seth finds out that he was living in a world where his brother was 'brought back to life in a virtual world', after his death in the real world, a death which his parents never came to terms with. It's heartbreaking when Seth discovers his brother is actually dead, and not just left injured from an accident years before, which is what he'd always thought previously.
Religion
Seth regularly questions whether he is in hell and whether the janitor is death. The representation of such Christian qualities is evident of his upbringing in England, but the fact he continuously forces the idea away as though it cannot be true shows his religious thoughts too. He would much rather feel hope from his own mind in the thoughts that he is controlling what happens, than rely on hope from something which he cannot be sure of.
Again, this represents the thoughts of our teenage world today. More young adults are questions religion and what their beliefs are, just as Seth does. And Ness explores this beautifully.
Whether you're a young adult or not, this book makes you think. It explores themes which aren't touched on very often and it explores them in a sensitive but upfront way. I just hope there's a sequel so that I can have my numerous questions answered. Patrick Ness? Do you care to tell us??
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