Grasshopper Jungle is a “coming of age” novel written by Andrew A. Smith. It was originally not supposed to be published, as Andrew had been told that his content didn’t fit its age group. When his son fell ill, he insisted that his father read a book for him, and Andrew read Grasshopper Jungle. His son loved it, and forced his father to publish the book, which he did with great reception.
Andrew expressed the sheer randomness that infused and formed into Grasshopper Jungle, as he let himself be inspired by cool names and his own experiences as he grew up. He stated that Austin became polish, because of how Andrew liked the way “S” and “Z” looked beside each other, which shaped the name Szerba.
Several themes are discussed in the book through the eyes of Austin Szerba as he grows up in Ealing, Iowa. He has his own demons and problems, as he struggles with becoming an adult, his sexuality and fitting in. Then, the 412E plague gets released, causing even bigger problems than Austin initially had; now he has to both fit in and save the planet from human-eating mantises.
Austin, Robert and Shannon are a tight group of best-friends and are the only components that stay consistent throughout the book. Austin and Shannon are a couple, but Austin and Robert both have sexual fantasies about each other, though none of them dares acting out or revealing it. Andrew might have been trying to let the readers know that such feelings aren’t abnormal, and that people should be open about their sexuality, because if they aren’t, nothing will happen. Austin and Robert could have a romance of their own, if only they had dared to be open with each other about their feelings.
Not only are there internal battles raging in the book, the apocalypse is also looming. Even though the group all try their best at saving the world, their hard work doesn’t pay off. They are forced to live their lives in a shelter, as the rest of the world perishes. This might show that sometimes, the best efforts just aren’t good enough. Smith might have been trying to show the world as it really is, with a realistic twist towards the ending of the book.
