By Alex Zhanglam
If you have ever had me as a friend, I would recommend you read this novel whenever the opportunity presents itself. The book is Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (found and sold on Rainbow Rowell’s own website, Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, Target and Macmillan Publishers). It has been my spiritual book for the past four years.
Carry On is Rainbow Rowell’s unique take on the “chosen one” trope, and the ”Simon Snow” series. The Simon Snow series is the fictional equivalent to our real world’s Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. However, Simon Snow is the series found in Cath’s world. The quickest way to explain Cath’s world, is with the blurb below, taken from the review site Hypable:
“Carry On is the sort-of spinoff to Rowell’s previous novel Fangirl. In Fangirl, college student Cath writes fanfiction for the (fictional) Simon Snow series by (the fictional) Gemma T. Leslie. In Carry On, Rowell offers her own take on the Simon Snow world and characters –separate from both Cath’s fanfiction and Leslie’s series.” – Hypable
To reiterate: Cath is the main character in another one of Rowell’s novels called Fangirl, where it discusses fandoms, fanfictions, and mental health. Originally, Carry On was supposed to be a fanfiction written in Cath’s writing style, but Rainbow fell in love with creating the fictional piece. Instead of continuing in Cath’s writing style, Rowell took Carry On and ran with it, making it her own. You don’t have to read Fangirl in order to enjoy this book since Carry On is its own story, and it doesn’t reference Fangirl whatsoever.
Although the beginning of the book is rather slow, I cherish the majority of the first section because the writing’s fine attention to detail makes descriptions of “Watford School of Magicks” so vivid. (That, and how it builds our anticipation to meet Baz, is intense.) The main character, Simon, is obsessed with Baz in a paranoid sense, and keeps describing him as a kind of rival/enemy. The plot begins to escalate when the second section begins, and it will not disappoint.
Small tidbit. Rainbow Rowell is well known for the well-crafted romance elements in her fiction. The progression of the love story is subtle, and it will also create an impact so strong, you will need to take breaks during the intimate moments. Simon and Baz were destined to be roommates, forced to be civil to each other within their room, and then became closer. Eventually, they mutually fall in love. Rowell’s formatting of the book also allows readers to experience this development from both character’s perspectives, which made it more intriguing.
Rainbow Rowell also creates fully fleshed out character personas, which provide a really refreshing reading experience. Each chapter, whether dedicated to one character’s perspective or switching from one to another, gives the book an extremely personal flair. The book immerses you in each character’s own perspective; Simon’s rambunctiously blunt, simple and absentminded point of view, Penelope’s stubbornly brilliant personality, and Baz’s posh and cynical facade (Baz is the person that you really can’t live without after reading this novel).
The deeply rooted fantastical world of Simon Snow also utilizes magic in a novel way. Although, the book explores the British sector of the magical world, it emphasizes how the use of language determines the power a spell may have. The book elaborates on this notion through one of Watford’s teachers, Miss Possibelf, on page 107:
“ ‘Words are very powerful,’ Miss Possibelf said during our first Magic Words lesson. No one else was paying attention; she wasn’t saying anything they didn’t already know. But I was trying to commit it all to memory. ‘And they become more powerful,’ she went on, ‘the more that they are said, and read, and written, in specific, consistent combinations. The key to casting a spell is tapping into that power. Not just saying the words, but summoning their meaning’.”
We use the very words that carry magic within this novel, in our everyday lives. The book discusses how the language we speak, our diction, and our vocabulary can impact the people we interact with. Spoken language can devastate, revive, or save a person. It is also the inclusion of particular lyrics and rhymes that are woven into the book that can provide more life and strength to a person.
Carry On also ages well. It is rewarding to reread, and with the audiobook you will pick up on finer details that can change your interpretation on a second or third reading.
To further support my recommendation, below is the book cover summary of Carry On by Rainbow Rowell:
“Simon Snow is the worst Chosen One who’s ever been chosen.
That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire, and a complete git, but he’s probably right.
Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up.
Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, and a mystery. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell novel — but far, far more monsters.”
Please, enjoy.