My philosophy of coming of age stories is that stories of about girl characters will go through a sexual experience. Coming of age stories about boy will be through a traumatic event. Girl in Landscape is not an exception to this. The book does surprisingly mix genres pretty well. The book starts off with a science fiction feel. We are in a futuristic Brooklyn where the ozone layer is completely gone, and protective cones have to be worn at the beach to protect skin. The book quickly paints a portrait of the “typical family”.Then immediately destroys that idea, and sends them off to the planet of the Arch builders.
Once they settle on the Planet of the Arch Builders it immediately transforms into a western. The settlement on the planet of the Arch Builders just like the wild west represents a clean slate. The settlement is this lawless isolated place. Where the residents can mold the town into something great. All of the adults in the settlement are seen as failures on Earth. So this opportunity to attempt to leave a legacy is really attractive to the residents. Just like the west where people wanted to make money, and build legacies.
Then these very spiritual and supernatural events begin to happen when the Arch Builders come more into the picture. The Arch Builders are obviously the Indians in this western genre. Efram treats them like second class citizens on their own planet, just like common racism in the west. Pella soon gains the ability to see through the house deer while she sleeps. When she becomes part of the deer, Pella starts to have a sexual awakening. She becomes very voyeuristic, and develops this strange sexual tension and almost lust for Efram. Her lust quickly turns to total disgust when she realizes how terrible Efram really is. I’m happy that nothing really happened between Efram and Pella it would of been too crazy if it started to go in the Lolita direction. She does use her sexuality a bit to attempt to stop him.
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