After a brief Thanksgiving break, our much-missed Jen is back – and with a vengeance. As always she challenges us to think outside the box, and this time to consider, “What makes us human and how it can not be taken for granted.” Her book choice this week is another Stephenenie Meyer selection, but this time one written for adults, namely, “The Host.”
Before you start cursing me under your breath, this Stephenie Meyer is an adult book. I would have been unable to resist anyway, but at least you might have been spared. Continuing on my, “Be a better person and appreciate what you have,” tirade….The Hostshould make you do just that.
What if someone thought you were doing a poor job as a species? Assumed you were cruel and selfish; that you were blind to the natural beauty of your planet and really could not be trusted. What if that someone decided to step in and fix things by removing you completely?
Extra-terrestrial bodies known as Souls need hosts for their species to survive. They are small, silver and remarkably kind. They have been on many many planets and try to maintain them in a better fashion than they were found. This sounds entirerly affable in principle.However, what if it was us? Our planet? Our bodies? What if we were systematically eradicted?
Melanie is a ‘wild” human. She was able for many years after the insurrection
to remain hidden. When she is captured and becomes ‘host’ to the Soul, Wanderer, we first meet. The Soul is inserted through an incision in the neck and uses her centipede-esque attachments to connect to the central nervous system. Once inserted she becomes the person, usurping memories and capabilities.
Wanderer expects to live a peaceful, conforming life, carrying on as humans would without fear, violence or any adversity at all. She has no desires beyond using her host to lead a predictable, calm, human-type life. Her desires are pre-conditioned; live in harmony and learn. La-la-la.
Guess what? Not gonna happen. (Of course not … don’t you know me better than that by now?) Melanie’s consciousness refuses to relinquish ownership and the two must co-habitate in this one body. Amazingly, with all of this happening, the beginning of The Host is sloowwww. Persevere because it will be worth your while.
Wanderer and Melanie come to tolerate one another and Wanderer is surprised to find non-conforming human desires surfacing. With a growing, grudgingly-acknowledged mutual admiration, they travel to anticipated safety and other humans . Wanderer doubts her role as invasive parasite. In fact, she grasps the here-to-fore unconscious idea that she is invasive.
As she grows to love her human host and herself, we do too.
I can see my father rolling his eyes … This is not a scary alien book. I am not a fan of that idiotic, teen scream-Queen genre and would not recommend any such thing to you. “The Host” is an introspective look at what makes us human and how it can not be taken for granted.