25th April, Pushkin Press, 256 pages, Paperback, Review copy
Summary from Pushkin Press
On her twelfth birthday Cecilia goes out with her parents and sister to
celebrate with a visit to a museum. On their way Cecilia drops the
marble that her sister gave her as a present, and running to pick it up
she is taken away on an empty underground train into a dark and deep
tunnel. The fun family outing becomes a much more serious mission when
Cecilia finds that she and her marble have a very important role to play
in freeing the inhabitants of the tunnels from the tyrannical rule of
the Corvus.
Nayu's thoughts
I very nearly stopped reading a few chapters in, because I have a limit to how much weird and wonderful stuff I can handle, and the world Cecelia found herself in was very weird, plus I got put off by having something I have a phobia about be her new 'food'. I'm glad I gave it another chance as it ended up being such a sweet tale of friendship, and standing up for what you believe in (although it shouldn't impede on others unless they are literally trying to hurt you. I'm all for peaceful protest, but widespread disruption, as is happening in cities across the world thanks to a group who I'll leave nameless but many who read this review will know exactly what I'm talking about).
It's very much an Alice in Wonderland style read, thankfully without the freaky Cheshire cat who gives me the heebee geebees. Instead Cecelia comes up against the ruler *coughdictatorcough* of the Tunnels, a selfish, greedy feather brain who thinks ruling by fear is the best way to get the most out of society. Trust me it isn't. The way Cecelia gets lost and in the new world is refreshing, as is the way she gets back home. I liked that there are a handful of chapters (maybe even just 1 or 2, I can't quite remember) that looks at her disappearance from her family's views, something you'll be needing a tissue for.
I prefer not to make book comparisons, but you'll get the feel of the story if I say it's also a bit like the Narnia books. The way Jacque D'Or has control over the world he inhabits, with informants everywhere made me think of the Snow Queen and her secret police group (or whatever the wolves are cold). This isn't a negative comparison, I got a few shocks along with Cecelia when she got caught in places and by people I wouldn't have expected to be as they are. Having everyone be mostly animals with a bit of humanistic traits was fun, especially when one of Cecelia's friends says who they think she reassembles.
Cecelia has more inner strength than she thinks. She learns to control her emotions a little, which initially got her in trouble. She learns to see beyond the obvious, and realise that what she has is far more precious than she knows. I totally wanted the dress and matching bag that she got to wear to an event, it sounded divine! It seemed a bit weird for such finery to exist in a society where essentials like water aren't commonplace, but the way it made her feel buoyed up her spirits for what would be a momentous occasion.
Until I reached the last few chapters I wouldn't have said I'd reread this, but I want to go back to the Tunnels Below because the characters are memorable and felt like real friends by the end. The only reason this doesn't get a top grade is because of what I mentioned at the start of this review, which is a personal issue, not one that many readers will struggle with.
Find out more on Nadine's website.
Suggested read
My recommended book is one that's technically for younger readers, but the feel of the story fits with The Tunnels Below: Alice Dent and The Incredible Germs by Gwen Lowe (Children's, 7 years +, 10E/10E)
Guest Blog Post by Nadine
I grew up in a world
of colour, mystery, imagination, art, music and although my parents
separated when I was very little, Love. My sister has always been my
extra parent, my best friend, guidance counsellor, idol and partner
in crime and I think that it was this closeness growing up together
and the threat of losing her several times as we’ve grown into
adulthood that shaped the narrative of The Tunnels Below. The theme
of sisterhood follows the main character of Cecilia through the
twists and turns of the book, sometimes when I myself have been most
lost I only have to think of my sister to know it will be ok. In the
end it all boils down to what home looks and feels like when you’ve
wandered off your path.
There are many
qualities about Cecilia that my sister in real life share:
Resilience, kindness, intelligence, passion and imagination - a
strong interest in science. The list goes on but if you want to find
out more you can, by reading the book. Cecilia was easy to write
because I was lucky enough to grow up in close proximity to my
inspiration, even though I may not have know it at the time. Cecilia
and Hester's relationship is loosely based on the relationship I
share with my own sister and that I cherish but what I was trying to
observe through my writing was how inextricably linked Cecilia and
her little sister Hester are, even when they are apart. This is
represented by the marble that Hester gives Cecilia for her birthday,
it's both the cause of her perilous journey and the resolution of it,
as well as a constant reminder of how much she wants to go home.
Writing The Tunnels
Below taught me a lot about what is at the heart of the notion of
sisterhood and the idea of home and through my writing I discovered,
it’s all in the details. That splodge of jam on the wall that has
been there forever, the cat asleep on freshly laundered towels or
that little patch of moss growing round the edge of the bathroom
window. That’s home but it’s also what bonds siblings. The bits
that only you and your sister would know about and it's because she’s
grown up from a similar point of view as you shared the same upward
trajectory as she grows. That’s the nature of Cecilia and Hester’s
relationship, shared experience, which prior to winding up lost in
the dark of The Tunnels Below Cecilia has possibly taken for granted
and definitely never had with anyone else. While she is lost Cecilia
learns that this bond can be shared with other people too when she
meets Kuffi and then Luke. But it’s her first relationship with her
sister that has taught her how to share and develop these bonds with
others which she had just never done before.
By the time I had
reached the end of writing the book I discovered that the experiences
with outsiders had elevated Cecilia’s relationship with her sister
and strengthened that bond not just for Cecilia but for her sister
Hester as well because it was the first time they had been apart
having very real and important experiences. Cecilia’s relationship
with Hester and establishing that bond throughout various stages in
the book was essential to the story because it was the blueprint for
how Cecilia would engage with all the other creatures she encountered
on her adventure in The Tunnels Below. Perhaps, it is fair to say
that this is also true in real life. I was lucky enough to grow up
with a sister who was generous and open enough to show me a true and
deep friendship one that has been the blueprint for the friendships I
have made all the way into adulthood.
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