TITLE: 5 To 1
SERIES: None
AUTHOR: Holly Bodger
GENRE: Dystopian, Young Adult, Poetry, and Romance
PAGE COUNT: 244
PUBLICATION: May 12, 2015
PUBLISHER: Knopf Books for Young Readers
RATING: 4 out of 5 stars
In the year 2054, after decades of gender selection, India now has a ratio of five boys for every girl, making women an incredibly valuable commodity. Tired of marrying off their daughters to the highest bidder and determined to finally make marriage fair, the women who form the country of Koyanagar have instituted a series of tests so that every boy has the chance to win a wife.
Sudasa doesn’t want to be a wife, and Contestant Five, a boy forced to compete in the test to become her husband, has other plans as well. Sudasa’s family wants nothing more than for their daughter to do the right thing and pick a husband who will keep her comfortable—and caged. Five’s family wants him to escape by failing the tests. As the tests advance, Sudasa and Five thwart each other at every turn until they slowly realize that they just might want the same thing.
Told from alternating points of view—Sudasa’s in verse and Contestant Five’s in prose—allowing readers to experience both characters’ pain and their brave struggle for hope.
I wasn’t expecting to like this as much as I did. This story talks about a country where the ratio of men to women is five to one. From it’s synopsis, I figured it would be like a favorite book of mine, The Glass Arrow. The Glass Arrow took this situation a route where women were raised for men. However, 5 To 1 takes the opposite route where men grow up for women. It was an intriguing twist. (Not to say that I approve of either solution. Everybody is equal.)
The writing style is not what I usually read from a book. The girl’s perspective is told through what looks like poetry, but it isn’t a poetry I am familiar with. I enjoyed it nonetheless. The boy’s perspective is told through normal writing. I do have to say that reading the girl’s perspective helped me fly through this book.
Sudasa’s story is inspiring, but I did have a few issues with her as a character. I understand that she was corrupted by her grandmother and the world she grew up in, but in the beginning, I couldn’t stand her way of thinking towards the male contestants. She believed that they should feel blessed to get acknowledgement from her, and I had issues with that. Thankfully, she had character development where she changed her way of thinking. The author handled her character development well with how the story is told through such a short amount of time.
I have learned, through this book and many others, there is always two sides to the story. Contestant Five is the other side of the story. I enjoyed his character. He did what was right, even if that meant he lost. His character is spot on.
I somewhat question the ending of this novel. I want to know what happens AFTER the competition is over. What happens to the other contestants? What happens to Sudasa after she makes her decision? What happened to Contestant Five’s mother? I do think that the ending somewhat suites the story. An open ending. I always have issues with open endings, because I can imagine them happily ever after, or not so happily ever after. I am a person who likes closure, even if it isn’t good.
I enjoyed this books, but if you have different opinion, tell me in the comment section below! Same applies is you agree with me.
As always, check back in later for more content, read a book or two and I’ll see you in the next post! xoxo-Izzy
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