Noughts and Crosses
Noughts and Crosses is the first book in the Noughts and Crosses trilogy written by Malorie Blackman. It tells the story of a Cross, Sephy and a Nought, Callum.
Sephy is a very privileged young girl who lives with her mother, sister and father, an influential politician. At the start of the story she has an idealised view of the world as she has never been exposed to the reality of her society. As a Cross, Sephy is higher up in society; the Crosses have until recently kept the light skinned Noughts as slaves. The Crosses themselves have dark skin. Callum, a young Nought boy is at the opposite end of the spectrum to Sephy. He lives in poor conditions in a Nought neighbourhood with his family. His mother works for Sephy's mother as a nanny.
As the story progresses and the characters grow older, Sephy begins to learn about the society in which she lives. Noughts are looked down on and there is a great deal of prejudice against them. The Crosses, being the ruling class, consider themselves better in every way. This mindset distances Sephy and Callum from each other. The story evolves from here in a bumpy way with the Liberation Militia, a violent anti-Cross organization, playing a key role.
The story is written with an interesting technique, each chapter with a shift in narrative perspective. For example, one chapter is written in Sephy’s point of view and the next in her mother’s. This gives the reader a wide picture of what is going on. It also creates moments when the reader knows something that the characters don't, building up tension and excitement, which makes the book a real page-turner.
Noughts and Crosses constantly makes you think. It makes you look at our society in a different light and see the prejudice, racism and hate which exist for no good reason. The book creates a parallel to our society, which because of its different perspective, is more effective and thought-provoking than if it were to be set in our current society.
