Nessa is pretty similar to the protagonists I’ve read about in other books. The plot of The Call by Peadar O’Guilin follows her story as she prepares herself for an event called the call (hence the title of the book). I’m a little less than halfway through the book, so I can’t easily write on how Nessa grows as a character. But, I can say what she’s like right now.
Nessa doesn’t want to show any emotion. She tries to stay blank, above whatever feelings she might have about people at the school. However, she has a hard time truly staying neutral. Despite having a crippled leg, Nessa is quite brave, and is always prepared to do whatever her classmates are doing, even if it takes her longer. She knows that someday she’ll be fighting for her life, and that’s all she thinks about. O’Guilin explains how Nessa likes a boy named Anto, and that she cares for him. But, she doesn’t want to show it. She “strains against the muscles in her neck that want her to turn and look in his direction” (O’Guilin 99). At this point in the story, Nessa is slowly breaking her self-set rules more and more often. Spoilers for The Call: For example, she sneaks out at night to give a note to Anto, she follows two of her classmates out into the area where a body was found, etc. Spoiler warning over.
I notice this pattern a lot in dystopian fantasy books. The main character starts out shut-off from everyone around them, slowly becoming more comfortable and showing their “true colors.” Spoiler for Throne of Glass: For example, in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas, Celaena Sardothien, the main character, is an assassin fighting to be the king’s champion. She doesn’t show any emotion around the other competitors, only beginning to discover her true self later on, becoming closer to those around her. Eventually, she realized she was Aelin Galathynius, the lost princess of a place called Terrasen. Spoiler warning over.
Obviously I don’t know yet how Nessa’s story turns out, but it feels like it’s going down a similar character arc. I hope that O’Guilin chooses a slightly different route, but it’s already setting up to make her show emotions more around others. She’ll probably continue to take more risks, becoming closer to those around her. I’ll be curious to see how the book ends, though at the moment, it feels a bit predictable. What would be interesting is if she doesn’t survive the call, or another unexpected event happens to her or the other people around her that changes (or ends) her story. I suppose I’ll find out soon enough.
The Call seems like a very interesting book and I am now curious to find out what the call is. I really like how you pointed out how many dystopian protagonists are so similar. I never realized this before, but after reading your blog I agree that many dystopian protagonists begin the story as withdrawn and reserved but as the story continues they begin to open themselves more and more to the world. I am currently reading the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins which is set in a dystopian future. In the Hunger Games the protagonist Katniss is also very reserved and opens up more as the story progresses. I really enjoyed reading your blog and I'm going to add The Call to my reading list.
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