OCDaniel vs The Girl in the Blue Coat

Despite the fact that all of us thought “OCDaniel” was quite good and would likely appeal to young readers, “Girl in the Blue Coat” won out with all four of our votes! “OCDaniel” is a nice story, that also touches on a mental health issue that we don’t often hear as much about, in OCD. Being written by someone who has OCD, it adds veracity to the story, and an emotional hook for the book. Aside from that, it manages to stuff a whole ton of genre conventions into one novel, in a way that (mostly) doesn’t feel overwrought or overfull. You have a quirky love story, mystery plot, sports underdog story and Daniel coming to terms with his condition. It was a fast read, that as discussed by other groups, may also appeal to reluctant readers. However, despite all of this, it didn’t blow any of us away, and the promising mystery was a little too cleanly solved. It is not as though any of us want to be storm clouds on the happy ending here, but the resolution is so clean for all the story arcs, that we felt a little grey may have made for a stronger message. In addition, while I noted earlier that the multiple genre conventions weren’t necessarily overwhelming, in a short text, it made it hard to dig into any one aspect. With all of that (mostly) praise for what was the loser, let’s get onto the real thing!

I was more hesitant about “Girl in the Blue Coat”, despite strong reviews from previous groups, because I feel that WW2 fiction and “_____ Girl” or “The _____ Girl” novels have been somewhat done to death. In addition to this, I thought the cover art left much to be desired, and certainly didn’t look like anything I would pick up unprompted, (acknowledging, of course, what a sin it is that I judged a book by it’s cover). This, at least for me, then, left me surprised when I actually cracked it, and realized why the adage holds true. I am certainly glad I picked it up! It focused on telling unique small stories in a way that attempts to be historically accurate, while shrouding itself in an engaging larger mystery. It was powerful and poignant, with engaging characters and a fast-moving plot that drew us in. The writing overall, was a strong point, and we felt that the protagonist would be relatable for younger readers. One interesting point of discussion we had about the novel, was how accurate the teenage behaviour was for the time, as one of our group felt that they behaved too much like 2018 teenagers situated in that context. That being said, this could help young readers place themselves within the novel, and lead to more readership! Overall, it was a great story that we are happy to pass along!

posted by LauraJ on behalf of Ben S