Masterminds
The book depicts a community free from crime. However, beneath it all, society is built on crime. The author of the book tries to bring out an action-oriented perspective filled with mysteries and tangles. Serenity is a town known for its perfect life. Its residents are at peace with everything. Four children suspect their parents of living a double life. Everything within the town seems suspicious. The children dig deeper into the lives of their parents only to realize they are children of hardcore criminals, ‘All decent highways cross New Mexico well to the south. If you hit Serenity, chances are you’re lost (Korman 56).’ The separation of Serenity from the rest of the society helps the writer establish suspense and create a solid background upon which the story revolves.
The author described serenity town as a peaceful place with passable roads and nicely kept infrastructure, ‘only one road passes through Serenity, a two-lane paved ribbon everybody calls Old county Six. There is little fear of meeting traffic in either direction ( Korman 100….’ The main of describing the town is to help the reader gain an understanding into way of the life of that particular town. Hence, describing the town helps to paint an accurate picture of Serenity to the readers.
The town is named ‘serenity’ but beneath all the glamour and quietness, crime is deeply rooted in the very inner core of the town. The town’s name is an irony. Even though the surrounding is serene and beautiful, the people who live within the town have buried secrets. For instance, Eli Frieden's life is perfect however when he encountered the harsh reality of the past, he had to look for help from his friends. Thus, serenity masks a lot of challenges and problems which are left unsolved due to crime. Also, when Eli arrives on Serenity Plastic Works rooftop he refers to it as the higher point of the universe, ‘This must be how it felt to stand on the summit of Mount Everest for the first time (Korman 118).' It is well known that Eli rarely moves out of Serenity town and its environs. Coming into contact with new places has him perplexed and worried. The writer tries to compare the main character's feeble mind to the highest altitude in the world to capture the feelings and the situation he was facing while trying to solve an intricate crime.
Eli was an obedient child and had to ask permission before doing anything he was not allowed to, ‘I felt a little bit strange about not telling dad (Korman101).’ In spite of an evident crime, Eli wanted to stand for what was right hence the need to inform his father of what he was up to. The ability of a person to judge right from wrong. ‘I’m not breaking any rules, but I know he’ll be disappointed if he finds out about this (Korman 156…' doing the right thing is not justified, the right procedure has to be followed for the sake of retaining peace and showing respect to the elderly people. Eli is determined to do the impossible, ‘as we bike, I spot the gully that was the site of the fossil hunting trip. I am now further from home than I’ve ever been in my life. Can it be this easy (Korman 216)?’ this passage only proves the resilience of Eli as he pursues the truth hidden under Serenity.
Work cited
Korman Gordon Mastermind, 2015
