"Capsule" by Mel Torrefranca: Encapsulating The Unpredictability Caveat Of Human Emotion

A Book Review

Mel Torrefranca's sophomore novel "Capsule" explores the various caveats and nuances to human emotion so profoundly to the degree that she is able to characterise the characters as living, breathing humans. Whether intended or not, Torrefranca has etched a philosophical and thought-provoking identity for this novel, which makes us question the very essence of being human. It throws readers into a wormhole of thoughts revolving around mental and emotional health with deeply compelling characters and their relationships, intertwined with a gripping plot.

Capsule is a game, playing with life and death, human emotions and relationships. It mysteriously installs itself on Jackie Mendoza's (the narrator) phone after the disappearance of 2 of her schoolmates: who seem to her like insufferable Peter Moon and narcissistic Kat Pike. Peter Moon - as the author herself states, is "legally, a goodie-two-shoes but socially, an overconfident rebel". On the contrary, Kat Pike is a popular, confident girl at superficial glance but deeper, she is emotionless and unpained by objective sorrow. Only Jackie is able to see the app on her phone and see the contents of it — she has to play a game with human lives, more specifically, the lives of the missing. And so, once she starts the 'game', she is taken back in time in the hopes of changing her own present. But why does she do it, more-so for two strangers? Her reasons begin with insecurities about her moral self rooted within her by her dysfunctional relationship with her mother, a stride to prove that she isn't a selfish video-game-addict and she does indeed, care about the real, tangible world. As she builds long-lasting friendships she never thought to be deserving of, Jackie's reasons for playing the game changes and in the process, she discovers more whilst also losing more. Losing at the cost of finally winning?

Capsule is a fine blend of young-adult, thriller and science-fiction, without being too overwhelmingly fitting in one of the genres. Torrefranca explores all genres with equal dedication, deeply concentrating on character development, inter-character relationships, building suspense as well as abiding by rules of sci-fi elements (i.e. time travelling). The author brings 3 polar characters together and puts them in situations where they are unable to escape the bonds of friendship and are unbound by shackles of society expectations. The heart (and the cherry-on-top) of this novel is the intricacies with which Torrefranca has built her characters' personalities; they have distinct personas, characterised by their actions and reactions within the novels. The author has carefully indulged deeply into the "everyone has a reason for why they act a certain way" philosophy and has build her characters with intent and grit. No character acts irrationally without an embedded reason and even if they do, Torrefranca exhibits the act in the way that is relatable to the readers, displaying the unpredictability of the human psyche in a natural fashion. The discoveries and friendships made along the timeline of the book are heartwarming as well as heart-wrenching. The uncommon friendship between the misunderstood personalities is well-developed and reasoned, rather than being out-of-the-blue. The characters' deepest fears and highest peaks are well explored and given the tangible quality to be grasped by the reader, which makes for brilliant connections to be formed between readers and characters. Ultimately, this book is very character-centric and is driven by the psyche, it is one which explores the chambers of the teenager's mind; their insecurities, their comforts and deepest desires.

Torrefranca does not write in a way other authors do, with an array of unnecessary detail and overcomplicated jargon. Her writing style is succinct and engaging, and the involvement of the technology of today's age such as 'Discord', mobile games (like Clash of Clans) and the revolving plot around video games entices a larger demographic than those which are conventionally geared towards a 'young-adult' book. Since I have not read novels like this one, which are set in the current technological era and with characters so much alike the ones around me, the similarities often made me cringe with the occasional slang of "bro"s and "dude"s used by the characters. It seems like a satirical mockery of the gen-Z! Having said that, with the volume and dimension given to each of the characters, this seemingly superficial characteristic which is imposed on the gen-Z is gradually stripped off, aiding readers to grow an affinity for our generation instead. Despite the book's primary timeframe only being a day long, the book handles pace very well, neither being too quickly paced or frustratingly slow. The details in the 24 hours are appreciated and the book's timeline -- going back and forth in time -- is appreciated as a reader as it indulges us in a "look how far we've come" moment.

The only deal-breaker remaining within this novel was the slightly dissatisfying ending, at least for me, where Torrefranca leaves it to the readers' imaginations to interpret the future of the characters in their setting. I would have appreciated further closure but again, I understand this differs from reader to reader. Leaving the readers to interpret as their wish is often a precarious approach, being very Murakami-esque which is sometimes appreciated and other times, dreaded and despicable. Torrefranca balances my feelings on the ending as the lack of closure is neither frustrating nor appreciated, instead, finds a middle-ground in the spectrum.

The engagement with the audience is truly effective as the author embeds relatability with the plot, setting and characters, successfully establishing a connection between so many parties - the readers, writer, and characters - simultaneously. It is truly a marvellous display of what a young author is set up to accomplish and sets the bar up high for those seeking the same path.

I rate this novel 4/5 stars.

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"Capsule" by Mel Torrefranca releases on July 10, 2021. I got to read the ARC (advanced-reader-copy) version of it. This book has been special for me as once I started reading it, I did not want to put it down -- but I had to, because I wanted to cherish it. I didn't want it to be over as much as I wanted to know what happened in the end. And so, I took 3 days to read sections of it throughout the day, savouring different chapters in different places. Having also been a very thrilling read, I appreciate the life lessons and morals hidden as gems within the story.

Mel has been an inspiration for young writers like myself, encouraging us to put ourselves out there with our work.

Check out her website here.

And her youtube channel here.