Gurion ben-Judah Maccabee is a 10-year-old Israelite genius, scholar, and potential Messiah who has been kicked out of three schools and finally placed in his fourth school's disciplinary lockdown program, The Cage. He is one of my top 5 favorite narrators of all time, and his style of narration, his language, is the best part of the book. It is a combination of the immense rhetorical skill you'd expect from a genius and the immature and sometimes ludicrous subject matter you'd expect from a 10-year old boy. These two things together produce a unique voice that manages to be arrogant, heartfelt, provocative, and funny (often at the same time).
Gurion is a narrator who leaves nothing out. He argues every point and counterpoint, gives every detail of every event, and this is best exemplified when comparing the length of the book itself (1,030 pages) with the temporal duration of the story (4 days). This sounds horrifying, I know. Like it'd be boring and filled with unnecessary drivel, and if you're someone who needs a fast-moving plot, it's possible that the book is not for you. But if you appreciate voice, language, character, and humor, it's a must-read. And some of the things that give the book length are the numerous detention assignments, emails, and "Scriptures" written by Gurion-- these are some of the best parts of the book.
For example, Gurion, instead of doing his actual English assignment, writes a note to his teacher saying, "I am not even remotely interested in writing a two-page short story about made-up Jewish people eating dinner, so instead I've written Scripture. What follows is the entire text that he turned in: a 43-page history of his parents' relationship entitled "Story of Stories," in which he interweaves multiple small stories that rather meaningfully delve into the themes of religion, love, family, justice, and spirituality.
He receives another assignment to write a 1-2 page essay answering the question, "How did the events of 9/11 change what it means to be American?" He writes a 20-page history of the game "Slapslap" entitled "9-1-1 is a Joke." Not only is the story interesting, but around page 19 Gurion actually does tie his subject matter into 9/11, and somewhat masterfully.
The plot is secondary, less a compelling reason for reading, and yet interesting all the same. Gurion accidentally becomes the leader of an in-school rebellion that calls itself The Side of Damage, and as the book wears on this group grows in number and its ability to undermine The Arrangement, which consists of the robots (most of the school's staff) as well as anyone who allows himself or herself to be controlled by the robots (most of the school's students). What will come of this rebellion? Victory? Tragedy? Absolutely nothing? I won't tell you, and it doesn't really matter. The journey is the good part.
And the journey is filled with a brilliant cast of characters and conflicts. Gurion's parents are non-observant Jews, one of which is a lawyer famous for defending the free speech rights of anti-Semites. Two of his best friends are vulgar, violent, yet incredibly intelligent co-inhabitants of The Cage. There's a pop-singer/tool named Boystar, an eloquent mentally retarded boy named Main Man, and the ambiguous Bam Slokum, big man on campus. And the conflicts! Side of Damage vs. the Arrangement, the Shovers vs. the band kids, Israelites vs. Jews, Israelites vs. non-Israelites. Middle school is the perfect setting for a million different little conflicts all to fuse together and boil over into the book's climax, which comes at you unexpectedly and unmercifully.
The Instructions is a work of great density and wit to be both enjoyed and commended. The language is amazing. The plot, once it finally develops, is exciting. The characters are flawed and beautiful. And the sheer length of the book will keep you busy for a while, will allow you to enter and remain in another world for months. I'd include a sample selection, but the writing is so well-done that no part really stands on its own; there aren't many one-liners. To truly show what makes the book good, I'd have to include multiple pages, because each one builds on the last, and that is how such meaning is obtained.
Two thumbs up.
Zach Peters - Zach Peters is a writer, teacher, cook, and student of human nature. He writes in various genres, and he loves you.
