Furia Wins The Day

 

Well, this was not a particularly close call for us. We did not have one person go to bat for The Intruder in this one. I will say that The Intruder struck me as a good, somewhat old fashioned narrative, that our kids maybe don’t get exposed to enough in their formative years these days. Even Disney kids shows can spend more time raising an ironic eyebrow than actually engaging an audience in the plot. So, I think there are kids that will definitely find this to be a compelling read and I think they will like young Margot. She’s dealing with unimaginable trauma, but we still see the person she is shining through, even if the very insular nature of her circumstances throughout the novel maybe limits the depth of her character. I think a lot of kids would keep reading through this just to find out exactly what is going on, even if all of them might not be satisfied with the ending.

 

Camila (Furia) is another character that kids will be drawn to. Her life, too, is complex and she is another strong character who will inspire both empathy and admiration. I have played and coached soccer my entire life and I certainly think that any kid who is “futbol-obsessed” (as our author is described on the book jacket) would find both the descriptions of play and the rags to riches rise to Serie A for Diego to be a compelling backdrop for Furia’s complex narrative. I don’t think, however, (much like Dragon Hoops in the first round) a reader would need to have much, if any, background in sport to still find this an engaging read, While the storyline is interesting in itself and kids will legitimately keep reading to find out where everything is going, at the heart of the narrative is a social justice warrior. This is a story rooted in time and place, and I suspect  that an interview with the author would provide us with stories from her youth in Argentina that would be every bit as gripping as this novel. Soccer may be the driving force for Camila to claim her own identity, but this is also a powerful exploration of female agency and the forces - historical, cultural etc. - that have kept young women just like Camila fixed in place. There are elements of this story that read like any teen drama -real or fictional): familial conflict, disagreements between friends, barriers to love - to name just three - but there are also very profound ideas at work here and these ideas are explored in a sometimes nuanced manner. Ultimately, it is a story of struggle and hope, not just for our young protagonist, but for something better for us all as we move forward. I think this would be an engaging read for young people to not only see themselves as they are, but also see themselves as agents of change. Furia is our pick to move forward into the next round.