Mister Pip

Lloyd Jones

Matilda and her mother live in a village on an island under siege. There is a rebellion and the armies on both sides are terrorizing the island. All the teachers and most of the educated people have left. Matilda's father had gone to Australia for work before the island was cut off. She and her mother haven't heard from him in a long time.

There is one white man near them on the island. His wife is black like everyone else Matilda knows. They two seem crazy. She stands in a cart when he pulls her around. All the children tease him behind his back and occasionally to his face. Mr. Watts seems not to notice.

One morning Matilda's mother Mama sends her to school even though the teacher is gone. Mr. Watts has offered to teach the class. He starts by reading the book Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens, "the greatest English writer of the 19th century". They also do sums, writing, and other schoolwork. The local native women come in and tell things they know. But the height of Matilda's day, as well as most of the children, is when Mr. Watts reads Pip's story from Great Expectations.

Mama and Mr. Watts don't agree on much. Matilda has discovered a hero in Pip. Mama wants her to revere her family, not a made up character. Mama's beliefs are based her Bible. She knows there's a God and a devil and a way to live. Mr. Watts is at best an agnostic. He believes God and the devil are made up characters. The two spar and Matilda often finds herself in the middle. But each time soldiers show up from either side of the conflict, the whole village hangs

What was I expecting? I don't know, but this isn't the book I had in my head. I had never read any of the teasers or descriptions about Mister Pip. I knew I had to read it from the recommendation of several friends. I knew the author was Australian. I was surprised to find myself on a war torn South Pacific island in the 1990's.

Lloyd Jones quickly pulled me into Matilda's world. She tells Mister Pip in first person narrative. She's 13 when the book starts. Matilda knows her mother is a bit stricter and knows her mother loves her. She believes her father does as well and that he hasn't returned because of the civil war. But she isn't sure because he can no longer send money to them nor have any contact with them.

Matilda tells a straight forward, poignant story. She's not detached, but she tells the story without pulling in lots of emotions to color or slant the story. Mr. Watts and Mama set up the story. The soldiers pull it together to end their time on the island. Then Matilda finalizes the story after she is off the island.

Mister Pip sneaks up on you. Because of Matilda's age, the reader doesn't always catch the whole overall story until it is in front of Matilda's face. She misses nuances and atmosphere, which helps set the reader up to be caught off guard later. This coming of age book is one of those to make you think and appreciate once again the resilience of the human spirit.

Notice: Graphic violence, Suggestive dialogue or situations

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver