So much of this book is about having the courage to stand up for your convictions to do what you know is right. I also loved the piece called Inside the Question. Music serves to distract Sal, but also to guide her and help her claim herself. Goobie’s writing is expressive and even though I couldn’t hear the music, I did feel how freeing it was for her. The aspect of Sal’s blue music and how it captured her true self and talent was excellent. I especially liked Diane and Tauni and the way they connected in the end. Her new social position gives her a different view, and she is able to make new friends who are honest and real. Tension-filled with the element of an accident you just can’t look away from, The Lottery also has wonderful, quirky characters Sal only meets because she suddenly finds herself on the outside just like them. There is a dark side in this book, but it’s in everyone and doesn’t belong to just one group. At first it is easy to see members of Shadow as the villains, yet the way other students acquiesce without a fight proves the situation is more complicated than it appears. Goobie explores the dynamics of power and entitlement in a high school setting, thoughtfully pointing out through Sal’s astute observations that everyone plays a role in choosing a victim and letting Shadow stay in power. On top of what she’s already dealing with, it is too much, and thankfully her brother Dusty helps her rediscover herself before she completely looses any sense of who she is.
Sal is faced with a horrible proposition: be the victim of Shadow, the secret society of the school, giving up her friends and integrity all to keep the system going for a year, or refuse to obey and risk social suicide.
I love reading about the strong female characters Goobie presents. My summary only captures a piece of what’s in The Lottery.
Review: What I love about Beth Goobie’s writing is that there is so much packed into it. Turns out they have more in common than she realised. As Sal is immersed in Shadow and loses her friends, she must decide if she is willing to play by the rules or if she can change things with the love and support of her brother Dusty. Her father killed himself by running his car into a tree when Sal was with him, and her mom is a detached parent who is having trouble connecting with her children through her grief. When Sal’s name comes up, she’s already got her own problems. Whoever is chosen is treated as a pariah at school even by their friends and forced to run errands distributing the Shadow’s orders to the rest of the student body. Summary: Every year at Saskatoon Collegiate, a lottery takes place to choose a victim and servant for Shadow.
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