Book Review: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

"The world was FUBAR now" (page 75)

The 5th Wave is the first in a dystopian trilogy by Rick Yancey. It was published in 2013 and a movie adaptation was made in 2016. The 5th Wave is a young-adult, sci-fi and action-filled novel. It's packed with twists and turns with a tinge of romance and plenty of deeper questions. Last year, I read The 5th Wave on a holiday and fell in love with Yancey's world. I decided to relive that magical atmosphere once again, but the re-read changed my opinion slightly.

The novel follows sixteen-year-old Cassiopeia 'Cassie' Sullivan trying to survive an alien invasion. Erase any pre-existing ideas of an alien invasion because this is like no other. An unknown spaceship enters the atmosphere and at first, everyone panics. People either hoard or run away. However, quite melodramatically the aliens, named the 'Others', don't attack immediately. Instead, the first wave is insisted in which all power disappeared.

The Others strategy is to weaken the human race in these so-called waves. The first one took away communication and any chance of escape. The second was an attack on coastal cities through a tsunami. Third was a deadly disease that killed four billion, the fourth introduced silencers; human-looking aliens that kill the remaining survivors. The fifth is on its way and nobody knows what is to come -you can only try to survive as it is.

We meet Cassie as she's travelling in the forest, trying to keep her promise to her little brother, Sam. She lost her mother to the third wave and her father to the fourth. Sam is a victim of the fifth, captured by the human-like aliens. Cassie has no idea where her little brother is but intends to fulfil her promise. She holds on to this promise as she lays under a car after being shot by a silencer. Stay or run–either way, she dies.

"It's an either/or world now." (page 43)

However, someone is watching over Cassie and he can't let her die. As Cassie begins to lose faith this 'guarding angle' saves her and promises to help with her mission. Cassie has to learn to trust again; for her brother's sake. But she finds this hard as she discovers more about her saviour, Evan Walker.

"How do you rid the Earth of humans? Rid the humans of their humanity." (page 12)

In the meantime, Ben Parish, Cassie's high school crush, is training at a military base; Camp Haven. After being rescued by the military Ben has been nicknamed Zombie. Ben soon becomes squad leader after a dispute about a five-year-old recruit. This recruit is Sam, now nicknamed Nugget. Ben befriends Sam and learns that he is waiting for his sister to join him.

"And it occurs to me that there's no real difference between us, the living and the dead; it's just a matter of tense: past-dead and future-dead." (page 113, Ben)

The novel is divided into big parts that are then divided into smaller chapters. The chapters are considerably short. This annoyed me while reading the novel. I know that short chapters are desired throughout the reading community but these are too short in my opinion. I enjoy it when a book cuts to the next page to start a new chapter. However, find it incredibly disruptive when the chapter is in the middle of the page; which is how the book was laid out due to the shortness of the chapters. Moreover, I did enjoy that the book was split into bigger parts with different titles that corresponded to the change of perspective.

Throughout the novel, we mainly switch between Cassie's and Ben's perspectives which are both in first-person perspective. However, we occasionally get Evan's and Sam's perspectives. Interestingly enough, it changes to a third-person perspective. This change makes it clear who the main characters are. We get a more intimate and descriptive viewpoint from Cassie and Ben. Whilst Sam and Evan are portrayed as 'side characters'. The shift in perspective added depth to the character dynamics. However, it took some getting used to and could be mind-boggling at times.

The writing is better than most YA novels and the plot is very logical. Yancey has put his utmost best into this book. He didn't just write it to make something enjoyable, but something powerful as well. It tackles questions about god, what it is to be human and to what extent love can motivate us. Many gave up on their faith as the invasion escalated. But Sam keeps praying. He also has questions. It's hard for the five-year-old to believe as the entire world crumbles apart.

"He had given in to hope, and that will kill you. It kills you before you die. Long before you die." (page 13)

Cassie deals with the fact that the human race is so small compared to the universe that we have yet to discover. Ever expanding and imploding. She compares the human race to an insect; a cockroach. It becomes a recurring theme in this novel. Evan suggests that she's a mayfly instead. As mayflys symbolise the present and opportunity.

"It was just as hard for me to swallow the idea that I had gone to bed a human being and woken up a cockroach" (page 148, Cassie)

The first 50 pages or so consistes only of Cassie's mind. I appreciate when an author gives the reader a solid base when first being introduced to a world. When it comes to dystopian and fantasy worlds, there is often a lot of information. A lot of novels don't communicate very well with the reader. This is often done by beginning the novel with an action scene and then later explaining the world around them. This is effective in grasping the readers' attention, however, it can cause confusion. In my opinion, Yancey succeeds in creating a straightforward yet engaging introduction to The 5th Wave. Unfortunately, this is something that couldn't be recreated in the movie.

We learn a lot about Cassie in a short amount of time. There are some things I extremely dislike about her character which are typically for that time and this genre. It's something I mentioned in my November 9 review; the overused witty and sarcastic female main character. It's something so typical for the 2010s, that I tend to feel very nostalgic about it. However, my nostalgic feeling doesn't make it a good character. Cassie isn't as bad as Tessa from Divergent or Fallon from November 9, but I'll let this quote speak for itself:

"Sarcasm doesn't appear to work on him. If that's true, I'm in trouble: It's my normal mode of communication." (page 154)

Sometimes authors try so hard to be relatable to teenage girls that they just come off as incredibly embarrassing and awkward. This genre has been particularly troubled by this character trope. Katniss Everdeen is partly to blame for this; she is angst, the girl boss, and is what every future dystopian protagonist becomes. She was the IT girl back in the 2010s and every YA dystopian was influenced by her popular personality. I believe that this made it hard for any author to make their character distinguished but also likeable and popular in the Katniss-driven media.

I do like most of the characters individually. They are strong and likeable but not without their flaws, which make them relatable. However, I do dislike some dynamics and chemistry between the characters. Ben and Cassie having a previous, but nearly non-existent, relationship seems too much of a coincidence. I do like how it was executed; the awkward and silly moment as Cassie discovers that her old crush is a friend of her brothers.

Another awkward and flawed relationship is Cassie's and Evan's. I don't particularly enjoy romance novels, I much prefer another genre that has a plot but includes romance. However, I did not understand the romance in this novel. They have no chemistry at all but perhaps that's better. Cassie is attracted to Evan but doesn't feel any deeper connection, due to her mistrust of people and Evan's eeriness. However, she is forced to trust him because that's the only way to help her brother, "ignorance is bliss" becomes a main theme throughout their relationship. We get a clearer picture of Cassie's conflicted feelings but Evan is a complete mystery.

"... I was the one thing he found worth dying for. Me, the girl who let him kiss her but never kissed him first." ( page 342, Cassie)

Evan is utterly and completely devoted to Cassie and will do anything to keep her alive. But what is his motive here? Does he truly love her or is she just collateral damage as he fights his internal conflicts? It seems unlikely that he loves her considering they've only known each other a few weeks. It is clear that Evan is having some sort of identity crisis and seems to be using Cassie. Maybe it's just my own attempt to make Evan less of a flat character, give hime some sort of dynamic. You never know with these characters and one can argue for hours whether there's substance or not.

"But love is a weapon they have no answer for. They know how you think, but they can't know what you feel." (page 373, Evan)

The 5th Wave holds a very special place in my heart. It may seem to be a comfort read to others and in one way it is but also so much more than that. It holds memories; some are happy and others not so much. Some of the fondness I acquired for this book is because of its stark contrast to another novel that I was reading at the time: Great Expectations. Subsequently, I realise that time and place can affect one’s view and reading experience. 

"Cruelty isn't a personality trait. Cruelty is a habit." (page 138)

I distinctly remember being on bad terms with my family whilst reading The 5th Wave. I recall one instance in which I was particularly upset; sitting outside where I thought nobody would disturb me. Honestly, it’s a bit shameful to admit, I was crying my heart out and reading was the only thing that calmed me. It immediately transported me out of my situation. However, the world had another plan. As I was sitting in the field, enjoying my book peacefully, a creature approached. I feel a sharp pain and cry out in pain. When I look down I see a wasp sticking out of my arm. I can’t help but laugh at the distress and disorder as I flail my arms around in an attempt to rid myself of the wasp. The pages in the book are all squashed because I throw it across the field in my panic. Books don’t only hold stories to entertain, they hold the past as well. 

"Sometimes you say things to your fear–things like It doesn't matter, the words acting like pats on the head of a hyper dog." (page 95)

Shortly after finishing the 5th wave, I recommended it to my younger brother. He read it as I read the sequel. It’s something that we bonded over the summer. Somehow I managed to bring him into my world, just for a little while. However, he never finished the third and final book in the series. I don’t mind much; at least I made him read something. And I’ll always cherish the moments in which we discussed or made fun of the book. I don't think I’ll ever forget the 5th–whenever it hits.