Nil by Lynne Matson

Reviewd by Ela P.
Grade 11

Of course I'd hallucinate a zebra. Why couldn't I dream up Robert Pattinson or, better yet, a river of Gatorade?

Have you ever had a dream that seemed too real to be just a figment of your imagination? Well, the novel, NIL, by Lynne Matson explores that unreal experience through the lens of a normal high school girl, Charley. However, rather than make this whimsical island one filled with everything a girl could dream, it was filled with real-life experiences and its many wild horrors. Charley is a normal high school girl, who couldn't think any differently from the life she was living. However, when she is taken from her normal home life, and randomly dropped on NIL, an island that the world doesn't know exists, she is forced to prioritize her survival over every distraction NIL presents. No matter how hard she tries, getting off of NIL is more than just a task, its a game, in which their only opponent is NIL herself.

Everything was always easy for Charley as a normal teenage girl, or so she thought... until she got to NIL. Trapped naked on an island that nobody knew about, and little hopes of contact with the normal world, Charley finds herself lonely and afraid of all the dangers that lurked in the woods on the island. This all changed when she met Thad, a Canadian boy, who introduces her to a small village of other teenagers from around the world who ended up on NIL just like her. They quickly fall for each other, creating the only feeling of happiness that she gets on the island, but also a weakness for NIL to prey on. The people on the island treat NIL like a curse watching over them, toying with their lives as if they were a game to her, and doing everything in her power to stop them from escaping her torture. In order for them to beat NIL, they all have to work together to do their part, but when some are filled with jealousy and desperation, their union slowly falls apart, leading them all to face many more disasters. In order to get off of NIL before their 365-day limit is over, they all have to work harder than ever, face their fears, put their lives in danger for the people they love, and make sacrifices to remain in order. Charley is forced to change herself, to cooperate with these vastly different teenagers and learn to keep her new family on the island safe by stepping out of her comfort zone, something she wouldn't be willing to do before. As Thad's time on NIL is coming to an end, their desperation causes their love to become stronger, and the two teenagers are faced with a debacle. Should Thad go before his time is up or should he take the risk to save the one he loves?

At first, it did seem like it was the stereotypical "trapped on a dangerous island" book, however, towards the end I realized that there was more reality than fantastical elements underlining the story. It shows ups and downs of every person, which is more down to Earth than the typical "struggle after struggle" plot, which made it more realistic. Every character makes mistakes and all struggle between acting on their sense versus emotions, which better represents the human instincts and their need for survival. Similarly, their situation makes the reader think about the difference between the dreams and realities, and the line that can be crossed. I thought that using an Island as the setting, and personifying "mother nature's power" was very good since it is still a belief that many cultures think true. It made me rethink the power of nature and its curses that it could very well present to any of us at her mercy, whether we are on an island or not. It's very mind-boggling and provides a thrill to anyone looking for an interesting book to read.

I really loved reading NIL, and would definitely recommend it to anyone who wanted a fantasy-based book with certain realistic elements. It is a very important lesson to the young adults reading the book and puts their lives in perspective to Charley's. Personally, I find it an important book that teaches the moral of perseverance no matter what struggle people are facing in their lives, and that eventually, it pays off. It was a lesson even I had to learn from the book when I read it. Her story made me reflect on my life, and how in order to achieve my goals, I had to keep working towards them without stopping to even consider quitting. The sequels of NIL are also very good, though they are told from different perspectives of different teenagers living on the island, I would recommend reading those as well. Overall, this was a very good and influential book that I would hope you enjoy as well.