I came by this book by way of a "Blind Date with a Book" at a local used book shop a while ago. My younger cousin was intrigued by it when he was visiting this summer. He finished it in two days and immediately demanded that I read it as well. The premise on its own is fascinating and one of the most unique I have ever seen. Ella Minnow Pea is an epistolary novel that centers on the small island community of Nollop, named after the man who came up with the pangram, "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." In the center of town is a memorial statue of Nevin Nollop with the famous sentence emblazoned below it. However, letters soon begin to fall from the statue. The tyrannical Council decides that this is a message from Nollop from beyond the grave and quickly begins to outlaw the usage of each letter as it falls off the statue. Ella Minnow Pea must now find a way to save her loved ones and the community of Nollop. 

This novel was incredibly engaging and balanced humor and gravity extremely well. I loved the fact that, as each letter was outlawed in the story, it disappeared from the novel. It dealt with the theme of censorship and totalitarianism in a way that, while a bit on the nose, was nonetheless still extremely effective. At first, the changes seemed to be minor. The characters laughed about not being able to use one letter out of twenty six. At first, none of them seemed to take what was going on very seriously at all. That is, until, the first of the consequences is handed out. Then the second. And finally, the third (exile or death). The amount of fear that slowly seeps into each character of the book is done so naturally and gradually. Going by how people have reacted to slow-yet-catastrophic events in recent times, I think this was an incredibly accurate representation of human nature. The rise of mob mentality and the desire to either rebel entirely or aid and abet the tyrants was also realistic. 

I think that this novel might end up being too on-the-nose with its symbolism for some readers, but I found the entire reading experience enjoyable and rewarding.