A letter to Veronica Rossi

*Write a letter to the author about your thoughts/opinions on the book*

Dear Veronica Rossi,
     I'm a huge fan of your Under the Never Sky trilogy. I feel like you took the idea of the newly-made-"classic" "teen-dystopia-romance" novel and truly made it your own. I have read the first two books already; I tore through them so fast and then I was depressed because I had to wait for Into the Still Blue to come out.

     As far as the first book goes, I love the way you introduced your trilogy's protagonists, Aria and Perry. I love how in the beginning of their stories you showcased how they were  polar opposites and how each of them felt that way about the other. Progressively throughout the book they began to see what the other possessed (dictionary definition of "opposites-attract", am I right?) that could help them with the task at hand.

     Leading into the second book, there was a lot of time for character development, as for the majority of the time Aria and Perry spent time apart. I have to say that I realize the overall reasoning behind this, however I along with probably the rest of your readers had a period where I was slightly annoyed that they were still apart, and in reading what they were thinking about how both of them missed the other, you wanted to scream and say "Why can't one of you just go after the other already!?"... I'm sorry, I'm rambling.

     I have yet to finish Into the Still Blue, however I am at a very critical turning point for Perry and Aria regarding their passage into the Still Blue, and the possible ramifications of their means of getting through the Aether wall (you're the author, so for the benefit of readers I won't include any more possible spoilers;) ).\

     I'll need to finish the book soon and see how it ends! (no, like I REALLY need to finish this book because I think the library probably already hates me because it's a 14 day borrow and I may be just a smidge over... oops...)

Into the Still Blue: (What does the work tell us about how people behave?)

(Ok, this is the third book in a trilogy, so I am warning you now that I will not be typing *SPOILER ALERT* before every sentence. With that, enjoy and please post comments:)!)

What does the work tell us about how people behave?

     Veronica Rossi creates a special emphasis on "behavior" within her books. In particular, she discusses a fictitious mental disorder that some of her characters develop known as DLS (Degenerative Limbic Syndrome). This syndrome causes those who live in the guarded civilizations of the Pods (Pod: think literally a giant bubble separating the citizens from the outside world) to lose control of themselves and enter a state of madness in which they can't be reasoned with.

     One of the characters, Soren, was someone who suffered from DLS when he was exposed to the Outside for the first time. He still shows signs of mental-instability now that he is being forced to live on the Outside after the fall of Reverie.

     "'You heard her!' Soren screamed at the top of his lungs. 'She said put your weapons down!'
...They drew together, back to back, their guns raised...'I told you, weapons down!'
A single pop broke into the air... Soren had fired" (Rossi 98-99)

     In this situation Soren and the others are being confronted by Guardians with weapons and he is going into a state of DLS panic. He fired upon them because they did not respond quickly enough.

     I think that this speaks to how humans in general have very impatient and also impulsive behavioral traits as a whole. When Soren was "backed-into-a-corner" he reacted on a whim and was so terrified that he completely disregarded other human life and placed himself above them. This showcases an unfortunately realistic representation of the less-desirable side of our human nature. Our instincts of self preservation, while rational to ourselves in a life-or-death situation, are a pathetic example of our blatant disregard for others when we fear the safety of our own skin.

     I hope that Soren can eventually overcome his DLS and really become a part of the team. Unfortunately, I have to say that he is not looking too good at the moment.

Veronica Rossi

     While I will continue to read The Great Gatsby, I'm taking a small break so that I can finish Veronica Rossi's third book in her Under the Never Sky Trilogy, Into the Still Blue.

 

Veronica Rossi

Veronica Rossi completed undergraduate studies at UCLA and then went on to study fine art at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. Veronica along with her husband and two sons live in Northern California. The Under the Never Sky Trilogy is her first debut set of work.

Check out this video of Veronica Rossi discussing when she was writing Under the Never Sky...