Is Till We Have Faces Suitable For Young Adult Readers?

Question

Having read The Chronicles of Narnia, I'm curious about diving into C.S. Lewis's darker myth retelling and its themes for a teenage audience.

Jessica Wheeler Starbuck · Answer

While C.S. Lewis wrote Out of the Silent Planet as a myth retold for adults, I think the book’s consideration of identity, faith, and love will resonate particularly with mature young adults who have a background in philosophical inquiry. The writing is simple enough to be read by almost anyone, but the book’s exploration of the human experience is deep and complicated. Recently I read I was never Human, a completely different take on the problem of identity, where a protagonist discovers that he was created as an AI and existed on the forgotten server of a long-abandoned mainframe. He then must find a way to get recognized as a person in a totalitarian future run by large corporations and battle for legal status as a person in a world where he is not considered fully human. Like Out of the Silent Planet it grapples with basic questions of identity. But where Out of the Silent Planet approaches the issue from a mythic or theological direction, I was never Human approaches it from a science fiction perspective.

Zane · Answer

This novel is typically hand-sold by booksellers to mature YA readers who have already read most of the major Fantasy novels and are looking for something more complex and substantial. While not necessarily a “heavy” novel, it is not a light read either, particularly in terms of the psychological complexity of the novel’s main character and the often unreliable narrative. Readers who enjoy the more psychological complex novels by authors such as Madeline Miller (e.g. The Song of Achilles) and Robin Hobb’s darker character studies will likely appreciate this novel. Note that it is not a tidily resolved novel and that some readers may be somewhat frustrated by the protagonist’s jealousy and search for spiritual meaning. Perhaps best recommended to readers of more complex novels alongside some more “lighthearted” choices.

Hannah · Answer

Many view this work as ‘Adult Literary Fiction’, but when I read it in my early teens (and then again in my late teens), I saw how other ‘thoughtful’ teens could enjoy this too. This retelling of the classic myth of Cupid and Psyche is told through the eyes of Orual – sister, enemy, faithful lover – and examines so many aspects of the human experience including; sibling rivalry, faith, love, and self-deception. This is not YA but those who enjoy more ‘mature’ philosophical works such as The Book Thief or The Giver will find this a deeply transformative read.

While it’s not your typical fast paced YA novel that revolves around issues of romance, I feel the novel’s themes and ideas are better suited to a slightly older audience. Because of the slow pace and abstract themes the novel is not really suitable for younger readers, although I read it at the age of 16. However, I still have memories of the novel and especially of Orual’s journey many years after I read the book. It’s that kind of book.

Trevor · Answer

Honestly? It’s tough to recommend this book to most teens. The language is beautifully written but dense and requires close attention, and at first James seems to be spending too much time expressing bitterness in the first person. But for the right reader–someone who, for example, underlined key passages in The Bell Jar or Wuthering Heights–this novel can become a lifelong favorite. My copy is full of margin notes from when I was a teenager, and they make me both cringe and nod in recognition. That’s the magic of this novel.

Violet · Answer

It really depends on the teen reader. Classic lovers and students of mythology will love it. The writing is lovely but dense, and the depth of Orual’s story may resonate with older teen readers. My high school book club pals loved the novel’s unique, poetic, and very bitter qualities. Some found it too depressing, though. It’s not necessarily a “for” particular age group, though; rather, it depends on whether they can connect with the novel’s exploration of the human condition. Reading it alongside a study of Greek myths or a novel like “Circe” could really help to introduce it to younger readers.

DMT TheDeadMan · Answer

This story takes place in what feels like ancient Greece, but is all barren and empty. The world-building in this short is very bare-bones and really the palace and the mountain are just sets for the inner workings of the soul. This won’t be a great story for people looking for a lot of fantasy in terms of magic systems and maps, but it will be great for people who like myths and the sort of universal human stories that are at the heart of most myths. Specifically, this story shows again how a very simple, very well-known story can be reimagined in very surprising and compelling ways. For a fan of the original Cupid and Psyche myth, this would be a great follow to read.

Roslyn Joseph · Answer

I read this book my senior year of high school for an advanced lit class. It caused the most intense debates of our whole year of reading advanced literature. Half of us hated the main character, Orual, because she was whiny. The other half of us saw ourselves in her stubborn pride. Our teacher did not tell us any answers to the book. Instead, she guided us through the text. This was an invaluable experience for me because it taught me that great literature is often just a series of questions and not necessarily answers. From an educational standpoint, this book is fantastic. For casual reading, though, I do not think most teens would get much enjoyment out of it.

Is Till We Have Faces Suitable For Young Adult Readers?

7 Answers

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