“To unpathed
waters, undreamed shores.”
-William
Shakespeare
After enduring hate, bullying and abuse, John
headed to London, seeking a life of peace. However, London was not the place he
had expected. The city was ravaged by violence, disease, and poor sanitary
conditions. Set in the 1600s, Airy Nothing is a magical fictional story
that narrates the experiences of John in his quest for peace and a trade that
would enable him to make a living.
John
was gentle, naïve and honest. After
losing his mother and sister, he was confused and sad; he had been falsely
accused of being responsible for their death in his small village, where rumors
spread like wildfire. John had always found relief and reassurance in his only
friend, an imaginary being: a hobglobin.
John left
his village behind in search of safety, scrambling to extricate himself from
the trauma of being abused and bullied for so long.
“With
every step he took, this new world grew, and his old village seemed to shrink
away, until soon it would be no more than a tiny speck. Would it vanish
altogether? Could it?”
In
London he met Black Jack, a streetwise guy who endeavored to protect him and
help him settle; they both found strength in each other’s company.
John had strived to mold his own identity in a
world that had always made him feel like an outcast.
When he came across Shakespeare’s Globe
Theatre, he was mesmerized. Confidence in his possible role as an actor
flickered in his soul as he considered the possibility of having a vocation
that would lead him to a new path. Black Jack would support him through every
ordeal. They became inseparable.
“Every second they’d lived, all their dreams
remembered and forgotten, every thought they’d ever had, entwined into a
tapestry that only faerie eyes could see. John’s fears disappeared under the
weaving of Jack’s confidence; the darkest of Jack’s thoughts were decorated
with sparkles from John’s magic.”
Clarissa Pattern’s unique style of writing
captures the imagination. The scenes are charged with engaging conflicts, vivid
imagery and intriguing characters, and I appreciate the insights and gems of
wisdom I came across in their conversations. After the story, the author
provides references related to the sources of the quotes used in Airy Nothing.
This magical YA historical fiction novel also reveals various aspects of gender discrimination, an issue that continues to exist today.
The
author takes us on a journey to Shakespearean London with the grit of somebody
who wants to follow a dream.
Would the theatre encourage John to unleash his authentic self?
Airy Nothing is a story of friendship, love and perseverance through hard times.
I highly recommend it. It is the kind of unconventional book that deserves a
second read. I thank the author for kindly sending me a copy of Airy Nothing.
Clarissa Pattern studied English language and
literature at the University of Oxford and has lived in the Oxfordshire area
ever since. She has been writing ever since she could hold crayons and scribble
across the wallpaper. Aside from writing, she spends as much time with her kids
as they’ll put up with, ignores almost all the housework, and has an ever
increasing list of books she’s frantic to read. Her stories have been published
in various anthologies over the years, and in August 2021 she released Airy Nothing. This is her first novel.
