Caraval -- Book Talk #1

Caraval, Book Talk #1

 “Welcome, welcome to Caraval! The grandest show on land or by sea. Inside you’ll experience more wonders than most people see in a lifetime. You can sip magic from a cup and buy dreams in a bottle. But before you fully enter into our world, you must remember it’s all a game.  What happens beyond this gate may frighten or excite you, but don’t let any of it trick you. We will try to convince you it’s real, but all of it is a performance. A world built of make-believe. So while we want you to get swept away, be careful of being swept too far away. Dreams that come true can be beautiful, but they can also turn into nightmares when people won’t wake up.”

 SUMMARY ______

Caraval is the first novel in a fantasy trilogy of the same name, the other two in the series being Legendary and Finale. The main character, seventeen-year-old Scarlett Dragna is the eldest daughter of a cruel and abusive dictator of a small island known as the Isle of Trisda. Ever since she was a little girl, she has wanted to experience Caraval, an enchanting once a year occasionally traveling performance where the audience must play a dangerous game in order to win the ever-changing grand prize. At the start of the novel, Scarlett faces an arranged marriage to a complete stranger and fears that she will never experience Caraval. However, with the help of an unknown sailor and her younger sister Donatella, Scarlett is spirited away to where Caraval is being held. After nearly seven years of writing the Caraval Master Legend in hopes that he’d come to Trisda for the Caraval, he has finally answered her call and sent three invitations for her, her sister and a blank one presumably for her fiancé, the count to come to Caraval. When her sister is kidnapped at the start of the game, Scarlett races against others to get her back and learns that not everyone is to be trusted, even the seemingly helpful sailor, Julian, who gives her a warning upon entry into Caraval: most of the people here aren’t who they appear. Julian then masquerades as Scarlett’s fiancé so that he may enter. In order to win the game, Scarlett must overcome the challenges presented to her – a scavenger hunt, riddles and other guests who all have motives of their own for why they seek the promised wish and wills top at nothing to get what they want. Magic is everywhere and illusions run rampant to conjure a false reality for the players involved. Everything in Caraval has a price – one that fluctuates between individual characters and regular money isn’t the currency in the game.  Scarlett teams up with Julian despite her mistrust in him because he was a guest in Caraval a year previous and this time had used her and her sister to get back in. The novel continues to explore the relationships Scarlett has with her sister, her nana and eventually Julian. The importance of sacrifice and family are repeated themes in parallel to the lies and manipulation that plague many of the characters, including Scarlett. Scarlett sees the world based on colors and taste and provides vivid imagery to the world around her. Time is very fluid and deadlines separate the winners from the losers once they fall into Caraval’s rabbit hole. In order to win the game guests must solve a mystery utilizing the clues scattered throughout the Caraval lands, notably called “the game board” in order to find her sister and Legend to be granted a wish. In order to save Donatella, Scarlett must participate and win the game.  To officially start the game, Scarlett and Julian offer a drop of blood a piece to signify that the Caraval performers take no responsibility for what happens in the game – whether it be untimely accidents, death, madness or worse. The game is played at night meaning guests will have five nights to play but must return to the lodgings of the Glass Serpent Inn before daybreak where they will be locked in until sunset. Confronted with unscrupulous rivals and untrustworthy performers, the path to victory is cloaked in shadows.

_____ RATIONALE_

Despite the overflow of fantasy elements, Caraval also delves deep into character’s relationships, complex themes and vivid imagery, which would make it a rich text for students to study from. It’s similarity to classics such as Alice in Wonderland and Count of Monte Cristo push the envelope on familiarity with a twist, as it is a standalone original story and not a retelling. It also tastefully displays the development of the main character(s) that is built up not only based on their past experiences and personalities, but also their time in the game as well, while interacting with each other. Caraval runs many parallels and displays a few moral gray areas. This text would be appropriate for 11^th and 12^th graders but no lower due to its exploration of mature themes and advanced vocabulary.  It’s something that I would greatly consider teaching students of this age group simply due to the engaging story and fundamental aspects that students can utilize and interpret to make claims about the characters and the plots since the story leaves room for speculation on character motives’ and conclusions.

 TEACHING IDEAS ______

·      Imagery is one of the key elements in the story and often two senses are used repeatedly in tandem to each other to describe how things appear or smell. It reveals the parallels between illusion and reality in Caraval’s environment and can be elaborated on and dissected for character analyses and mapping. Students can use the imagery to distinguish character motivation to better analyze characters and understand their motives within the contexts of the game. Scarlett Dragna’s relationships with a few key characters can also be helpful with character analyses as the language and tone of her interactions with them can change the perspective of morality and personal motivations.  

·      Due to the colorful cast of characters and role of lies and manipulation in the plot, it can be hard to discern who the true villains are in the text. A few unscrupulous characters encompass some of the many themes found within Caraval. Students can explore these themes to find evidence and make claims about who the real villain is in Caraval while also utilizing the vocabulary to emphasize their characters and actions throughout the story. Students can use this evidence to support their claims on whom the Caraval Villain(s) are in a persuasive essay.

·      Caraval would also be a great book to read outside of class to help students explore interpersonal relationships and real-life issues depicted in the text despite the fantasy elements that surrounds them. It takes a more serious look at morals and actions that they could be struggling with in their own life while keeping them engaged in the story due intrigue and high stakes on the part of those involved.  There a lot of different story elements displayed in the story that students can journal about and mull over to further understand the plot and characters not just through theme, plot, and prospective but also through the use of language, tone and vocabulary.

_____ CHALLENGE_

Parents would dislike the book due to scenes depicting physical abuse and minor sexual mentions. These scenes are used sparingly throughout the book, however, and most are not graphic. They’re used in context with certain characters to further define their characters within the text. These scenes are written to scrape the surface of the situation and are not graphic by any means but still portray the raw aspects of the situations involved. Only the purpose of them would be discussed within context and therefore, in my opinion, are acceptable in an academic environment.