If I Could Fly
If I Could Fly is an eccentric, surreal story set in a future where England is subject to the controlling power of the state and, eating away at people’s personal freedoms. Calypso Summer is a 13 years old girl on the run. She cannot remember who she is running from or why but running she is. The first chapter of If I Could Fly is stream of consciousness. It is poetic and alienating as the writing is unfamiliar. The whole novel is told in the first person present tense which makes Caly’s story a vibrant burst of life. The England Caly lives in has been transformed by a dangerous virus that has swept through the countryside, which the state claims is spread by wild animals. A great culling has begun to exterminate the wild creatures and people are being rounded up and quarantined.
Caly’s home life is in some ways very similar to other teens today. She goes to school, does her homework and loves her mother. However, there are sinister differences too. Young people are counted in and out of the estate by a guard who mans the gates. Caly finds a release with a group of free runners called the Feathers. She idolises the leader and learns the techniques of free running from him but also the need to ask questions, to have rebellious thoughts – but this is all memory from before Caly runs. It is what happens to Caly running that is the real coming-of-age story. There is also an intriguing backstory. Caly’s mum is Thai and her dad is British. The Thai heritage that Hucklesby weaved into the story is a brilliant aspect of the novel. I love the imagery and the gentle introduction of the Thai culture. There is plenty to delight the reader in If I Could Fly – the style of the writing, the friendships and the back story. An elegant, slightly dystopian, kaleidoscopically surreal coming-of-age story. This book will appeal to readers who like to read books that are out of the mainstream.
