Reponse to Skellig by David Almond

Jennifer Sherman
Fantasy
Response to Skellig by David Almond
I’m not sure I could describe the events that happened in Skellig. Honestly, it seems like nothing happened at all. A baby is sick and then the baby lives. The brother struggles with the baby’s illness and deals with how it affects his parents and himself. Essentially, that is what happens. And there aren’t even very many climatic moments where the baby’s life is in jeopardy or we question if she will survive or what is wrong with her. The story just simply continues. It is steady and persistent. It is absolutely wonderful.

When I finished this book, it seemed like I had just started it. The hours in between when I opened the first page and when I hesitantly closed the last, are lost to me. The story was so rhythmic. Because the events were so steady and “uneventful” the story just seemed to continue. I felt like the short chapters added to its unity, as they were so small that they were unable to signify any kind of separation. After three or four pages, another chapter would begin, and thus there was never really anywhere to stop. You could always read another chapter or two.

In stories that fail to have that clear rising action and moment of climax, there is usually a great deal of character development. These are the stories that talk about internal struggle or individual development. We seem to become the characters as we enter inside their brains and get to know them on an intensely personal level. However, with the characters in this book that was not the case. We really knew nothing about these characters that made them unique or dynamic. All we knew about the parents is that they were worried about their dying baby and they loved their children. We knew that the dad liked to make jokes and eat Chinese food. There was nothing about him that made him stand out from any other father or character. Even the unknown creature Skellig was not described in any way that made him unique. There was no description that made him easily visible to the reader’s eye. All we knew about him was that he had wings, he was skinny, and he liked to eat insects and Chinese food as well. We were never given a clear description of what he even looked like.

Through a few clues in the book, such as when they ask Michael who the prime minister is or the use of the word “bloody” we are told that it takes place in Britain. However, other than that we are not given a clear description of the setting. The story is even told in the first person and we do not know much about the main character. How old is he? What does he look like? There is nothing in this story that creates a concrete connection with the characters. There is no real character development.

Yet, I felt connected. I loved the description of the family. I loved the inside jokes about the father getting fat or how the parents teased Michael when he wanted to name the baby Persephone or how he presumably memorized the take out menu from the Chinese menu. I could feel the love that this family shared. The fight between the father and son was truly touching. The father screamed at him and told him that he wanted him to just go away. And then he came back and told him that he loved him. The moment was raw. It was special. Even though it seemed a bit normal or classic, it felt right. It felt real.

We may not know much about the characters, but I think that we know their hearts. We know as much as we need to know. Through Michael‘s narration we are given little character nuggets that teach us something about him. His simple descriptions like, “It was strange being at school again. Loads had happened to me, but school just stayed the same” (13) allow us to gauge his age and understand his complexity. Using basic words like “loads” that do not carry much descriptive certainty tells us that he is rather young. We are able to learn about his character though action instead of description. Even the way that the characters speak to him allows us to pinpoint his age. The way that the doctor tells him about how to heal arthritis by “cutting bits out and putting bits in” (67) tells us how others view his mental complexity.

The back of this book says that it is about Michael learning about the healing power of love, and I think that is what I got out of this book as well. When we meet Michael he resents the baby, because he had to move because of her and his parents are consumed by her, leaving him out in the dust. When he asks his mother about shoulder blades her first reaction is to simply walk away because she is concerned about the baby. While she eventually comes back and tells him about the angels and how shoulder blades are thought to be where are wings were, this shows how his relationship with his parents has shifted because of the new member of the family. Yet, through this shift, Michael still loves the baby. He can feel her heart beat in his own. He constantly prays for her and he asks Skellig to pray for her as well. The baby becomes part of him. She lives up to her name and brings joy to the family. At the end of the book when Michaels asks, “Can love help a person get better?” (161) I believe that he is synopsizing what this book is about. He is illustrating how faith and love can change a life.

When Michael met Skellig, he was fragile and weak. However, as he took care of him, Skellig grew strong and powerful. He was able to fly to the sister and perhaps guide her back to life, depending on what you view Skellig to be. No matter, he was able to stand on his own and dance with the children as they grew their own wings. It could be argued that it was the children’s love that gave him this strength. For years he was living with the old man, eating leftover Chinese boxes, barely clinging to life. Love brought him back.

This story does not really give any answers. At the end, we do not know who or what Skellig is. We do not know where he is going. We do not know if the children ever had wings. We do not know much more than we did in the very beginning. Yet, when I left this book, I did not feel like I needed to know anything. I did not feel like anything was left answered. This book instead showed me that I do not need answers. I do not need to know the exact description of Skellig or how old Michael is. I just need to be believe.

I felt like I gained so much from reading this book. In the very beginning of the book, Mina states, “Truth and dreams are always getting muddled” (52). This book exemplifies that quote. The lines between reality and fantasy are unclear. It is never certain if Skellig really exists or if everything is just a dream. Yet, in the end it does not really matter. It does not matter whether or not Michael was ever given wings or whether or not Skellig was an angel that came to help Michael and his sister. At the end of the day, Skellig helped Michael. Skellig taught Michael about love and acceptance. He helped him through this rough time in his life. I don’t care if he was real or not. What matters is the effect that he had. What matters is how he changed a life. What matters is that Michael believed.