I just finished listening to the audiobook of Speak. I’d seen the movie a few times before and wondered how the book would compare. I opted to listen to it because I wanted to see if the reader would capture Kristen Stewart’s haunted voice from the movie. The reader didn’t hit that mark, but I still found it enjoyable to listen to.
Spoilers abound so if you haven’t read the book or seen the movie, be forewarned.
This is the story of a girl, Melinda, who was raped and discovers that after the trauma, she can’t find the voice to tell anyone what happened. It happened at a party and she called the cops. The party was broken up but by then she’d already lost her will to speak so she left and never spoke to the cops. She was ridiculed by her classmates for having called them at all.
She enters ninth grade to find herself an outcast. We see her world through skewed, pain-filled eyes. And it’s her journey to finding that voice that I find remarkable to see. I also loved how her pursuit to draw a tree that projects emotion a fitting parallel to her own personal struggle and growth.
As a story itself though, my opinion may be skewed. I’ve seen the movie a few times and I thought it was great. As I listened to the book, I imagined it as the characters from the movie. Many of the differences between the two seemed better executed in the movie than the book too. So, all in all, I like the movie best. But the story itself and the character’s voice tend to haunt me. I’ll probably have to read the book eventually too. :P
On a side note, I have seen some reviews online where readers complain that they can’t relate to the character. That she was flat and dull. And that the high school was a bit stereotypical. Plus, rapists don’t tend to get what’s coming to them in real life.
I think these reviewers are missing the point of the story. Melinda is in a state of depression and shock. Of course she appears flat and dull. She’s trying to meld into the background, despite her head screaming, “Pay attention to me!” As she works through her pain and finds her voice, she gets a more developed personality. That’s how depression works, folks.
As for the high school, we are seeing it through her eyes. She’s presented it to us as a stereotype because that’s how she’s classified it. I took it only to be her perspective and not necessarily what really was. I could be wrong though.
And yes, sadly rapists do not always get what’s coming to them. It’s a sad fact of life. But, this is fiction. Yes, fiction. And, in my humble opinion, hope in fiction can be better created when they do. It’s that wonderful sense of justice, I guess.
