#561 - Woebegone’s Warehouse of Words
by Payal Kapadia and illustrated by Damini Gupta
“Woebegone’s Warehouse of Words” by Payal Kapadia. Published by Hachette. A dystopian story of a quest to find the truth in a world where speaking comes at a price.
The story is set in a world where words need to be bought by speakers through the click of a button. The words are living beings made of flesh and ink. They are stored in boxes at a warehouse whose keeper is Woebegone, who himself is a word. When the speakers order words, they are immediately packed and shipped out by drones. The prices of the words are always on the rise. It is a race against time for them to stay alive. At the heart of the city is the tyrannical Word Bloc from where the leader Gunther Glib controls both words and speakers alike. The world has been stripped of trees, birds and animals.
The story starts off with fifteen year olds Asha and Zeb breaking curfew and making graffiti on walls. Asha witnesses a gruesome sight of a word being killed by the chasers employed by Word Bloc. They are not going to be spared by Glib and his regime. In the meantime a word on the verge of death makes her friends escape on a daring mission to find the Word Wood from where the words are said to have come from in the beginning. They aren’t even sure if it is just a myth or reality. What happens when the paths of these fearless speakers and desperate words meet? Read the thought provoking book to know what happens on this epic journey and what is going to be uncovered.
Fast paced and full of wordplay, the book proved to be a delightful as well as engrossing read for me and my ten year old son. The genre is somewhere between fantasy and dystopian fiction which we hadn’t explored much. We were hooked to the story right from the start. My son who loves talking, shuddered at the prospect of life in such a world where people hardly spoke and words came at a price. He learnt quite a few new words and keeps talking about them now. We felt that being silenced for opposing the regime was a worse punishment than being killed. The charming illustrations helped us picture the setting of the story. Through the story, we realised how we take words and speaking for granted. The power of words which can be used to spread truth or untruth comes out beautifully in the narrative. The choice of words to incorporate witty wordplay and endearing characters with memorable traits are sure to leave a lasting impression on readers. My son said that he had never imagined that words could have life and liked the depiction style in the story. The mutual dependence between words and speakers has been portrayed in a striking manner.
The important message to not forget one’s roots is so powerful. The book made us root for the words and the speakers who wanted to uncover the truth. We cheered for them as they went about their daring mission facing all the obstacles that came in their way. Hope, value of freedom, courage, curiosity, friendship, empathy, kindness and a whole range of emotions are packed into this incredible story. Initially I was a bit sceptical picking up the book as it seemed to be for an older age group and I wasn’t sure if my son would take to it given the genre and his apprehension when it comes to reading anything with a little bit of fantasy. But he himself is now awed by the book :) I heard him talk about it excitedly to some friends we met while we were reading the book. Overall this thought provoking and ageless book is a “MUST READ” for everyone.
Recommended Age
The book is apt for anyone aged 11/12 and above.
Disclaimer - We received this book from the publisher, Hachette, for review. Thank you to Tanu, from Hachette, for sending across the book!