by Truus Matti
translation by Nancy Forest-Flier
Namelos, 2010. 214 pgs.
Reading Level: 10-14
Annotation: Trying to make sense of her father's accident, a young girl is pulled between the real and the surreal.
Summary: Matti writes a double story, with the same protagonist at the heart of each one. In the first, finding herself alone and confused on a bare plain in the middle of a thunderstorm, the young, unnamed girl seeks cover in an abandoned hotel. Met by a sleepy, yet hospitable fox and a cantankerous rat, the girl finds shelter and friendship with the fox, if not the rat. Gradually, the rat comes to trust her, but mysterious piano playing from an indecipherable source and the rat’s work on an old bus consume her days while she tries to remember just what she’s doing there and what her purpose is. In the second story, the girl is despondent over the accident that took her father. With her mother overcome by grief and their move to a new home, the girl is weighed down by the apprehension that her actions might have caused her father’s death. Despite the love of her grandmother and her father’s friend, Mr. Malakoff, the girl remains convinced she is somehow responsible for this horrible tragedy.
Evaluation: With increasing clarity, the two disparate stories intertwine and with each successive chapter, the reader begins to understand the interdependence of each. Matti writes with a melancholy pen, but there is a sweetness that surrounds this vulnerable protagonist and it’s a beautiful thing to see her mature as she interacts with the fox and the rat--coming to terms with her father’s death and her younger self. The rat and the fox add touches of humor and ingenuity to the tale and the girl is a bit like Alice as she navigates through her own Wonderland, occupied by talking animals and upside down affairs. The pacing is just right, with just enough mystery to keep the reader guessing and just enough exposition for it not to be overwhelming. However, the story has such a sophisticated structure and relies so heavily on nuance that I’m wary that young readers will have a difficult time parceling out the significance and the relationship between the two separate narratives. I really liked the Matti’s style myself though, and it pays a distinct homage to St. Exupery’s “The Little Prince”, as both adolescents are taught life lessons from the lips of a talking fox.
Significance: Departure Time covers several important themes. It discusses the difficulty of losing a parent and the common feelings of guilt and responsibility. But, the story is also one of discovery, of the journey we make through adolescence and the ability and opportunity we have to look back on our live and realize how we’ve matured. It’s about forgiveness of self and forgiveness of other people, even when they’re gone from our lives.
Personal Choice: It was something to do with the book being published orginally in Dutch. I just love the Northern Barquoe school of art and the cover's airmail edging was enticing. Not to mention that one of the characters was a talking fox so, I was hooked.
Awards: Batchelder Honor, 2011 / ALA Notable, 2011 / USBBY Outstanding International Honor, 2011 / CCBC Choices, 2011
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