Candy Colored Glasses

This book continues to captivate me with its poetic language and fascinating plot, to the point where I’m almost bitter that this section left off on the mysterious cliffhanger that it did. One theme throughout this section that I found to be prevalent, was the idea of growing up. Some quotes that really stood out to me, and wrapped its words around this concept, was on page 137. “It was also the silence of everything that they had left unsaid, everything that it was now up to me to learn and find out without them.” This line really moved me because there will always be moments in our lives when we find ourselves lost, wondering why no one was there to teach us, or why no one was there to tell us what to do. “I was only beginning to understand how little I knew…of this whole dark grown up world stretching like a lightless desert in all directions around me and blurring into the horizon.” This line also touched me because we are all ignorant at some points in our lives, reaching for this prospect of enlightenment, but only finding a shadowy emptiness, enshrouded by a obscure sense of tomorrow.

On page 104, Noria describes a shawl that her mother gave to her. “There was no trace of her. I wrapped it around myself anyway.” In this quote, it is clear to see that though her mother is gone, Noria holds onto any token of her, any distant hint of her love or even existence. And it’s heartbreaking to realize that her mother is gone, but Noria fights this reality, time and time again. Because who are we, when we are no longer anyone’s child? Who are we when we are no longer tied to being anyone else’s responsibility? In this section, Norian begins to explore these questions and searches for her identity, independent of her parent’s presence.

On page 109, she has a conversation with her friend, Sanja. “I know what fishfires are, and I still see dragons. Don’t you?” In this quote, she reveals her ever-youthful spirit yet, in casting aside the scientific realities of the world, and choosing to immerse herself in the powerful imaginations of a fairytale. Here, it is clear to see that though the pain of reality exists, and is acknowledged in her mind, she decides to see the world through the eyes of a dreamer.

If we go back to page 137, this idea is reinforced. “…There had to be more than this life, that outside the village, somewhere, under the sky, there must be a reason to believe that the world wasn’t dry and scorched and dying beyond repair.” In this quote, Noria continues to believe that there must be more to the world than the meek and dead promises bestowed upon her life. She fights ferociously against the one thing chaining us all to adulthood- hopelessness. And in this sense, this book could not be any more relevant, realistic, and inspiring to us all, in our own world. Sometimes there will be no one there to hold our hands, because we need that experience of pulling ourselves back up after falling, dusting off our pants, and walking again. Sometimes we need to redefine strength and faith for ourselves. And in the end, I deeply believe, that we are all children, some of us just older than others.