Salvage by Alexandra Duncan (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Salvage by Alexandra Duncan April Spisak Duncan, Alexandra. Salvage. Greenwillow, 2014. 520p. ISBN 978-0-06-222014-1 $17.99 R Gr. 9-12. Ava has only ever known life inside of the intensely patriarchal society on a deepspace merchant ship, so when she’s caught in a transgression and must undertake a risky escape, she’s hopelessly unprepared for her new life on Earth. Thankfully, there are plenty of places where, once she gets used to gravity and catches up on the seemingly endless number of things she was never taught, Ava can thrive, especially when she’s helped by local women, who, unlike her, were not raised to consider themselves useful only as procreative stock. In spite of the almost constantly dire circumstances, the novel has a meandering tone that perfectly highlights the weariness and numbness that can accompany a life lived constantly on the edge of disaster. Ava’s sometimes overwhelming innocence is tempered by her innate fierce grit—she quickly adapts to the idea that she can be an active participant in her [End Page 512] own destiny. The final breathtaking scene, a sharp exemplification of just how far Ava has come in making choices that sustain rather than oppress her, is an effective finale to her long physical and emotional journeys. Copyright © 2014 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois