The Lottery (novel)

The Lottery is a 2002 novel by Canadian author Beth Goobie. The book was first published on October 1, 2002 through Orca Book Publishers.

For the 2007 novel by Patricia Wood, see Lottery (novel).
The Lottery
AuthorBeth Goobie
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish
PublisherOrca Book Publishers
Publication date
October 1, 2002
Media typePrint, ebook
Pages262 pages
ISBN1551432382

Characters

Sal Hanson The main protagonist.

Shadow Council A school club designed to choose one victim or "lottery winner" who will do their bidding's and be discriminated against throughout that entire year.

Brydan Sally Hanson's best friend, wheelchair user and likes jazz.

Kimmie Sally Hanson's best friend.

Dusty Hanson Sally Hanson's brother.

Willis Cass President of Shadow Council

Synopsis

In The Lottery Beth Goobie tells the deeply disturbing yet timeless story of the scapegoat. The mechanics of the scapegoating procedure in this case are tidily explained in the novel’s opening lines: “Every student at Saskatoon Collegiate knew about the lottery. It was always held in the second week of September, during Shadow Council’s first official session. Rumor had it that a coffin containing the name of every S.C. student was placed in front of the blindfolded Shadow president. The lid was lifted, the president dipped a hand among the shifting, whispering papers, and a name was pulled.” Following the draw, the “winner” is shunned for the entire school year. Friendless, isolated, and quickly demoralized, the student becomes a stooge of the Shadow Council, a group that disguises itself as a service organization but is really an intimidation ring.

Themes

The Lottery deals with themes of friendship, romance, disability, high school, bullying in school and peer pressure.[1][2] Comparisons have been made between the themes and story lines in Shirley Jackson's The Lottery as well as to Brutus's involvement in the murder of Julius Caesar in Shakespeare's play.[3][4]

Reception

Critical reception has been mixed to positive,[5][6][7] with Kliatt giving the book a positive review and marking it as one of their "Editors' choice" for 2003.[8][9] The Quill and Quire gave a positive review for The Lottery, calling Goobie's style "baroque and edgy".[10] The School Library Journal and Horn Book Guide also reviewed the book, with the School Library Journal praising Goobie's writing while criticizing the "plethora of disparate plot elements".[11] Publishers Weekly also gave a mixed review, stating that at points the book had "heavy-handed symbolism and extraneous detail" but also raised "potentially provocative questions about free choice, self-knowledge and guilt".[3]

References
  1. Mahood, Kristine (2006). A Passion for Print: Promoting Reading And Books to Teens. Libraries Unlimited. pp. 151, 180. ISBN 159158146X.
  2. Elaine Slavens, Brooke Kerrigan (2003). Bullying: Deal With It Before Push Comes to Shove. James Lorimer. p. 32. ISBN 1550287907. Lottery Goobie.
  3. "Review: The Lottery". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  4. Sarah K. Herz, Donald R. Gallo (2005). From Hinton to Hamlet. Greenwood. pp. 54, 56–57. ISBN 0313324522.
  5. Review: The Lottery. Booklist. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  6. Jenkinson, Dave. "Review: The Lottery". CW Magazine. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  7. Gladstone, Cherie. "Review: The Lottery". School Librarian;Spring2006, Vol. 54 Issue 1, p43. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  8. "Editors' hardcover YA fiction choices--best of the year.(Bibliography)". Kliatt. 37 (2): 5. March 2003.
  9. Rohrlick, Paula (November 2002). "Goobie, Beth. The lottery.(Book Review)(Young Adult Review)(Brief Article)". Kliatt. 36 (6): 10.
  10. "Review: The Lottery". Quill and Quire. 8 January 2004. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  11. "Reviews for The Lottery". School Library Journal, Horn Book Guide (BookVerdict). Retrieved 2 May 2013.
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