Leah

= Melanie Stryder Refuses to fade away. =

Content:

 * Publication Date: || May 2008 ||
 * Setting: || An alien invaded/ alien-run government in the modern day U.S. ||
 * Situation: || The world has been invaded by aliens who take over humans' bodies and minds, and use them as "hosts" to survive on Earth. One alien named Wanderer, or Wands for short, has a host whose mind will not fade away; Wanderer can hear and communicate with her host Melanie, in her mind. With the memories and feelings Melanie regularly imposes on Wanda, the alien sets out to find Melanie's surviving family of humans. What Melanie thought, however, would work in her favor, takes the opposite turn when Wanda grows to love those people, as well. ||
 * Main Characters: || Wanderer, Melanie Stryder, Jaime (Melanie's brother), Jared (Melanie's boyfriend), Ian and Kyle (twin brothers) ||
 * Minor Characters : || Jeb (Melanie's uncle; leader of the surviving humans), Doc (aka Eustace; community doctor) ||
 * Conflict: || With the imposing thoughts and memories of Melanie, Wanda decides to give in to Melanie's demands and find her loved ones. However, Wanda did not count on falling in love with Melanie's family as well. Despite the love Wanda feels for them, however, many people in the community along with Jared and Kyle, do not reciprocate the same feelings; as a result, Wanda must prove her worth and dodge many obstacles, which in some cases are life threatening, in order to find a home in the covert society. ||

About the Author:
Stephenie Meyer graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor's Degree in English. She currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband and three sons. She is best known for her books Twilight (2005), New Moon (2006), Eclipse (2007), and Breaking Dawn (2008). With these popular bestsellers, Meyer has won numerous awards including a Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year award, an Amazon "Best Book of the Decade... So Far", and an American Library Association "Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults" and "Top Ten Books for Reluctant Readers". Her books have been elected for the New York Times editor's choice and a "hotlist" pick from Teen People. Twilight has also been translated into twenty languages and the Twilight Saga is currently being interpreted into numerous movies.

Theme:
In the Host, Meyer combines the stylistic elements of point of view and pace, as well as tone, to convey the perspective of how love is associated with, and can be the cause of an individual's desire to find a place where he or she belongs.

Review:
The Host is a compelling science-fiction novel that will keep readers off the edge of their seats and reading into the late hours of the night. The book's otherworldly setting and characters create an original plot that will continually keep readers interested in the book. This novel not only caters to the needs of science-fiction fans, but also to the hopeless romantics who believe in soul mates. The Host is recommended for all young adults who have a zeal for books that are composed of action, suspense, romance, and science-fiction.

Point of View and Pace:
Meyer uses a first person point of view in the story; the story is told in the perspective of Wanda. It is said in a book review that "Meyer offers a fresh perspective by relating the story through the mind of the protagonist [...]" (Reading). Since most of the novel takes place amongst the surviving humans, Wanda is seen as an outsider due to her status as a alien. With the story told from the point of view from an "outsider", readers can relate and sympathize with Wanda's desire for a feeling of belonging in their covert society. This situation is seen in society in a number of ways; for example, a new student in the school would want to feel accepted amongst his or her peers. Wanda's desire to belong only grows stronger as her time with the humans progresses, because she falls in love with Melanie's family. Wanda wants to feel accepted in the community because it will show her that they reciprocate the same affection. When two members in the community die, Wanda says "'Let me stay with Walt and Wes'" (Meyer 594), referring to being buried in the same place as her loved ones when her time comes to die; her desire to be respected and loved even after death, as she has seen in the humans around her, is seen through this plea.

From a review on the novel it is said that " the entire novel flowed very smoothly" ("Sci-fi for People Who Don't Like Sci-fi"). Meyer's pace within they novel is key to getting her perspective across to readers; if things progressed too fast or too slow reader might have been confused or lost interest. The pace also had to tie into what Wanda was hearing, thinking, and seeing on her own; when Wanda interprets something, readers expect Wanda to do it at a certain pace because of her character traits, which is something Meyer had to keep in mind while writing the novel. For example, Wanda is a loyal creature to her kind even though she loves humans; when horrified of the actions the humans have taken against her own race, Wanda runs off mourning for her people. It is said that "I sat in the blackness of the big hole in the ground and grieved for lost souls with a human at my side. [...] Ian sat with me for three days in the darkness"(Meyer 416-417). This prolonged and paced period in the novel is seen as acceptable behavior for Wanda due to prior revealings of her personality.

Tone:
From a review of the book, the tone is described as "inflamed with passion and desperation" (Reading). Wanda has a passion for life due to her gentle and loyal personality.Her desperation however, is for the acceptance and love from the humans, as well as her distressed desire to belong as an equal in the community. More than once throughout the novel Wanda shows her loyalty to the humans as an effort to being welcomed with open arms. For example, Wanda helps the covert society by doing chores and teaching the humans more about the souls that have taken over the world. It is said that " I scrubbed dishes in the shallow end of the dark pool, while he cleaned off the filth left behind from his mystery labors. Then he helped me with the last of the dirty bowls" (Meyer 287). By helping with the labor, Wanda is trying to prove her worth in the community. Her desperation to belong amongst the humans allows her to justify her actions of doing her share of work when none of the humans her to do it.