Think of a boy speaking awkward English and failing in school, but not yet defeated in love, exactly the situation of many teenagers. Presto! That's the plot for Subway Girl (2011, Harper Teen, an imprint of HarperCollins, 210 pages), a good short novel, for young readers, by P.J. Converse, a globe-trotting teacher.
Now living in California, the author previously taught English in Hong Kong and decided that the students needed a novel to inspire them. Subway Girl may have that effect on some readers while simply entertaining many more.
Converse and his characters question the value of much that passes for education. “ ‘Yeah. Just studying for hours – for years – out of textbooks. Most of it only for an exam. Just filling your head with.... I don’t know what it is.... Might as well read telephone books.”
Delightfully, Converse takes his readers into Hong Kong classrooms to hear the inane practice conversations:
“ ‘Good point,’ said Kenny.
‘I'm agree with that,’ said Leon.
‘Let's move on,’ said Kenny.
‘Look at the list of things to talk about!’ said Mr Lam.
‘Interesting things about the careers,' read Simon.
‘I think playing sport is very interesting,’ said Leon.
‘I'm agree with you,’ said Kenny.
‘Let's move on,’ said Leon.
‘Yes, I'm agree with you,’ said Kenny. ‘What is your opinion, Simon?’
Simon shrugged. ‘Opinion about what?’
‘Thank you, Simon,’ said Kenny.
‘I'm agree with you,’ said Leon.
‘Good point,’ said Kenny.
The class began to snicker.”
Young protagonist Simon Chan Tze Man, near an early end to his schooldays, seeks work as a waiter, but finds no instant success in restaurants either. “ ‘Okay,’ said Simon and picked up the tray with the glass on it. Two steps later, the glass tipped over and crashed to the floor. Everyone in the restaurant turned to see what had happened.”
Maybe the problems aren't all Simon's fault. “It wasn't that he hadn't tried. It was just that the English syllabus was for students who had English-speaking parents, English-speaking Filipina nannies, or private tutors, while Simon’s parents spoke two words of English – ‘okay, okay’ – and saw no need to pay someone to teach their son any more than that.”
Facing an unsure future, Simon savors the silent presence of a pretty girl often on the same crowded subway train. “He liked the way she didn't seem bothered by what other people were doing and how she seemed happy to be by herself. And he liked how she didn't dress up her uniform or put cutesy cartoon stickers on her bag. She wore socks instead of stockings. Her shoes were scuffed. She had purple streaks in her black hair. To Simon, she was the coolest and most beautiful girl he had ever seen.”
By luck, Simon catches the girl's attention and forges a friendship. “ ‘Oh,’ he said. She wasn't stuck-up at all. She was an English speaker, which was worse.”
The subway girl, Amy, a Chinese-American living in Hong Kong, appears worldly and experienced, but grapples with problems too, even hiding a secret too terrifying to tell her parents or teachers. With nowhere else to turn, she confides in Simon. Together, they must overcome much more than their language barrier.
With shy Simon's many shortcomings, how can he help? Surely, he'll fail again big-time, or is he more heroic than anyone realizes?
What starts as a story of teenage frustrations, notably about learning English, soon highlights the language of love. Not quite a rival to William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the book still presents its own milder brand of romantic tragedy.
Some unusual passages appear. Who else compares dancing to Chinese food? “Her body was like liquid, moving slow and easy to the music, and he was like hard noodles, stiff but trying to jiggle.”
Subway Girl's greatest strength lies in depicting daily life in Hong Kong. “The human current began two steps in front of their shop. Cleaners, secretaries, clerks, teachers, school kids and men with crumpled racing guides were all headed to the trains.”
Real students in Hong Kong and others interested in the place should enjoy the details. “The shop door creaked open, and a whiff of bus engines came through to Chan Tse Man, still in bed, waiting till the last moment to get up for school.”
As it happens, there's a big weakness too. Readers who mastered English long ago may tire of the slightly simplistic writing style.
Converse also has worked in Australia, Mexico and Israel. Subway Girl is his first novel for young adults. If he writes more, readers who liked this book may reach for the new titles too.
Approval rating: 65 per cent.
For more information: www.harperteen.com
(July 18, 2011)
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P.J. Converse
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