Very Far Away from Anywhere Else

Title: Very Far Away from Anywhere Else
Author: Ursula LeGuin
ISBN: 0152052089

Plot Summary: Owen is an average young man with above-average math and science skills, who has never felt entirely at home socially. He has created a fantasy world, Thorn, in his head, but does not share it with anyone else until he meets Natalie, a beautiful young musician and fellow student who instantly relates to him. The two become friends, then become involved romantically, but neither of them is sure they are ready to go to the next level, nor are they sure which direction they want the relationship to lead.

Critical Evaluation: This is one of Ursula LeGuin's shortest and simplest books, grounded in contemporary, non-fantastical Earth and inhabited by people who, although talented, do not possess magical powers of any kind. There is a fantasy world in the book, but it is Owen's creation, and therefore highlights the extent to which he needs his fantasies as an escape from the real world. His and Natalie's charm as a couple lies in the fact that they are both human and flawed, for all that they are smart, talented, and attracted to each other.

Reader's Annotation: He's a budding scientist who creates entire worlds in his head; she's an aspiring musician who just happens to laugh at his jokes. They fall in love, and suddenly everything changes, but neither of them is sure where it will lead.


About the Author: Ursula LeGuin was born in 1929 in Berkeley, California, the daughter of a writer and an anthropologist. She received her Bachelor's degree from Radcliffe, and her Master's from Columbia. Her published works have won numerous awards, and include science fiction, fantasy, short stories, essays, articles, poetry, and children's and young adult literature. Her fantasy novel A Wizard of Earthsea was adapted for television, but LeGuin publicly criticized the adaptation, saying that the producers had "whitewashed" her book by making all the main characters white, when in fact they were meant to be of different ethnicities. She met and married her husband, Charles LeGuin, in Paris; they currently live in Oregon, and have three children and four grandchildren.


Genre: Fiction, Romance, Fantasy

Curriculum Ties: Music, English Literature

Booktalking Ideas:

Hook: Owen's gym teacher inadvertently turns him on to Keats and Shelley.
Approach: Scene-based.
Ideas for Booktalk: Owen is more interested in math and science than in the humanities. However, he dislikes P.E. as well as his teacher for that class, who is constantly mocking him for thinking about "Keats and Shelley" rather than the task at hand. What does it say about Owen that this experience encourages him to check out a subject he doesn't particularly enjoy?


Hook: Owen's imaginary world, Thorn, that he has created.
Approach: Scene and character-based.
Ideas for Booktalk: Owen has put a great deal of care and effort into world-building. Thorn as a place he can escape to where he doesn't have to deal with real life and its awkward situations. He feels comfortable and close enough to Natalie to share this with her. What does that say about her? About him and his feelings toward her? Ask people to describe fantasy worlds and characters they have invented, if any, and discuss the world-building process.

Reading Level/Interest Age: High School

Challenge Issues: Sexual content, offensive language.
Natalie and Owen do not have sex in the book, but teenage sex is often discussed among Owen and his peers, who are quite fond of sexual innuendo. To those who object to this aspect of the book, I would respond that although Owen witnesses "typical" teenage boy behavior, he does not engage in it himself, and does not pressure Natalie to go any further than is comfortable. In the final analysis, this book is more about the emotional journey of the two main characters, and not any physical experiences they might have together.


Why I Chose This Book: This book has long been a favorite of mine, among Ursula LeGuin's works and in general. Deceptively brief and simple at first glance, it ends up speaking to many aspects of the human condition, of friendship, love, fantasies, and aspirations.