BOOKS 2 SCREEN PICK
Abarat by Clive Barker (HarperCollins, 2002)
Summary: Candy lives in Chickentown USA: the most boring place in the world, her heart bursting for some clue as to what her future may hold. She is soon to find out: swept out of our world by a giant wave, she finds herself in another place entirely…
The Abarat: a vast archipelago where every island is a different hour of the day, from the sunlit wonders of Three in the Afternoon, where dragons roam, to the dark terrors of the island of Midnight, ruled by Christopher Carrion. Candy has a place in this extraordinary world: she has been brought here to help save the Abarat from the dark forces that are stirring at its heart. Forces older than time itself, and more evil than anything Candy has ever encountered.
Notes:
Enter a world filled with darkness, reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland without being derivative. Baker is quite upfront with his influences of other classic children’s tales. A world fraught with peril at every corner, scenes beyond all imagining and magic so thick it could fill the air. Immerse yourself in the Sea of Izabella, or the twenty-five islands of Abarat. Even though some parts of Abarat are scary, one feels safe there.
Our heroine, 16-year-old Candy is bored with her life in a town whose only claim to fame is that it is the largest exporter of chickens in the USA. Her teacher hates her, her father is an abusive drunken brute, and her mother no longer stands up for Candy. Through some curious events, she is lead to the world of Abarat. Abarat (the first of three in the Abarat trilogy) is a modern day Wizard of Oz meets Harry Potter meets A Series of Unfortunate Events. Throw in a little bit of Charles Dickens patented darkness, some twisted Barker humor, and you get Abarat. This book creates the images of monsters and magic in front of you.
What sets Abarat apart is its surreal and equally abstract fantasy setting. The “real world” surround main protagonist Candy only lasts for maybe a few short chapters. The rest is spent in another Abarat. Bakers paintings of the scenery and character designs really pull you into the world, already giving you an idea of the amazing adaptation it could be.
The Book to Screen Club 