Den yttersta vildmarkens historia: Kuben review

When Marjo is given a carving knife that John thought was going to be his birthday present, John decides to run away. But before he can leave, he gets into a fight with Marjo and his mother intervenes. As a punishment, she forces them to build furniture together. In the process, John’s hair gets stuck in the machinery and Marjo manages to save his life, but his hair has to be cut short.

John is upset about his hair and goes into the garden for some alone time. An officer of the state pulls up to check on Marjo. John, realising Marjo should not be in the house, sneaks into the cube and tricks the officer because without his hair he looks like Marjo. But the officer locks him back into the cube. Meanwhile, his parents find the note saying he is intending to run away and his Dad goes into the forest to look for him.

When John eventually gets out of the cube, his father has still not returned. They find him caught in a trap. In the midst of their relief, it becomes clear Marjo is unwell. John’s mother treats him and then disappears for weeks.

John cares for Marjo while his father works. As Marjo recovers, the two boys become friends; they discover disturbing signs that everything is not as it seems, that they are not a normal family true to the state, that their neighbour is not who he is pretending to be and that John’s mother may be on a mission. Marjo also slowly reveals information about his life.

The adults realise there is an informer and try to discover him. The boys want to be involved but are excluded. Still, it is John who catches the informant, just before he turns twelve. His mother indicates that he may now be old enough to help the resistance, setting the scene for the next novel.

The main theme of this YA novel is the friendship between John and Marjo. From initial dislike and distrust, they slowly form a bond that goes beyond the circumstances that threw them together. They discover they are more alike than they thought and they become loyal to each other above all else. The development of their relationship feels natural and is revealed bit by bit in the short chapters. The author sensitively looks inside John’s mind and portrays their relationship in a very relatable way. Despite the despotic reign of the Sibling Presidents in the bleak dystopian future in which they find themselves, the boys’ friendship is a guiding light that keeps both hope alive and the story moving.

There are several mini-events spanning a few chapters, making it possible to break the book down into bite-size pieces for younger readers who may just be getting used to books without illustrations. But it can also be devoured in one or two sittings thanks to the likable characters and relatable settings that keep us wanting to know what happens next.