Book Review: Uses for Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt

It used to be Anna and her mom against the world.  But then her mom started dating, and soon Anna had a series of stepfathers and an increasingly distant mother.  When Anna discovered boys, she found that there were new ways to fill the emptiness inside her.  Boys can be her new family, and that’s what Anna tries to make happen with Desmond, and Joey, and Todd.  But Anna is always left alone, with only her friend Toy to comfort her.  It isn’t until she meets Sam and is accepted into his family that she begins to understand what real love is–and what’s at stake if she were to lose it.

Erica Lorraine Scheidt’s debut is a tricky novel to write about, because the basic premise is going to be polarizing.  Readers are going to be divided on whether or not this one works for them.  Some readers will get it and love it while others will get it and be uncomfortable with the message it leaves them with.  Still others will miss the point and resort to troubling and misguided slut-shaming while proclaiming that they aren’t, you know, for the whole slut-shaming thing.  For this particular reader, the book works on every level, making it a powerful, raw, and oftentimes disturbing read.  This one should be in every library.

Scheidt’s spare, brilliant prose feels deliberate on every page.  As she unfolds Anna’s story, the reader can feel Anna’s pain as she is left increasingly alone by her mother.  The emotions in this story are palpable, and Anna’s voice is unfailingly authentic.  Anna is a tough nut to crack, but it’s worth the reader’s time and investment to get to know her.  She’s vulnerable but resilient, resourceful and, most important, real.

There’s a lot to unpack in this slim, sparse novel.  Scheidt’s exploration of sex as a way of empowerment and as a way of destruction is unflinching in its portrayal of teen sexuality.  Anna is trying to figure out who she is in relation to herself and others through the use of sex, and this is going to make some people uncomfortable.  Again, this is important stuff, and it helps underscore how hard it is to figure out your sexuality in a world where it is not safe to do so.

Of course, there’s so much more that can be unpacked here: the murky life lessons that Anna is learning, the fact that she continues to repeat the same patterns of behavior, the fact that she continually allows herself to be defined by the boys in her life.  Anna’s friendship with Toy is fascinating and worth a closer look itself.  This is a book that begs to be read more than once.

Not for everyone, but definitely one that deserves to be talked about and thought about.  Scheidt is an author to watch, and Uses for Boys is one of my favorite reads of the year.

Uses for Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt. St. Martin’s Press: 2013.  Library copy.

 

 

Book Review: Golden by Jessi Kirby

Parker Frost is about to be the valedictorian of her high school, and she’s played it safe her entire life.  When she ends up with the task of sending out journals to seniors who graduated ten years ago, she discovers that she has a chance for some rare insight into a town mystery about star-crossed lovers.  Julianna Farnetti and Shane Cruz were remembered as the golden couple of their high school before the car accident that ended their young lives.  But when Parker starts reading, she starts to realize that there might be more to the story than she ever thought possible.  Through Julianna’s journal, she starts to really live her own life.

Jessi Kirby’s latest offering helps to cement her as one of the contemporary YA authors worth rooting for.  Her novels feature protagonists who are authentic, flawed, and absolutely compelling. Golden is a contemplative, inspirational novel that offers readers a different take on the well-traveled YA romance tropes.  Absolutely satisfying, this one should work for readers who like their stories firmly mired in strong characters and a compelling (but not fast-paced) narrative.

Rich characterization adds to this story.  Parker is a well-developed narrator whose safe little world starts to expand as she discovers just how much she might be missing out on by playing the good girl.  A funny, well-developed best friend helps round out Parker’s personality, and other strong secondary characters make the cast of the novel all the more appealing.  There’s a slightly underdeveloped plot with Parker’s mom, but with everything else going on in the story, this is forgivable.

A dash of mystery and a small romance round out this story nicely.  Readers are likely to become as ensconced in the mystery of Julianna as Parker is, and while some readers will likely figure it out long before Parker does, the journey is still a lot of fun.  Kirby doesn’t provide her readers with any easy answers, which makes this all the more satisfying.

A warm, thoughtful read.  This one will work for fans of Sarah Dessen (especially her earlier works). Recommended.

Golden by Jessi Kirby. Simon & Shuster BFYR: 2013.  Electronic galley accepted for review via Edelweiss.

Book Review: Burning Blue by Paul Griffin

Nicole Castro is the most beautiful girl in her wealthy New Jersey high school until the day she’s splashed with acid on one side of her face.  The whole world takes notice, but no one can solve the mystery of who her attacker was.  When social outcast Jay Nazarro decides to investigate the crime, he puts his hacker skills to good use.  It’s when he gets to know Nicole that things get even more complicated.

Paul Griffin’s taut thriller will keep readers glued to the page as they race to figure out who splashed Nicole with acid.  Gripping, authentic teen characters and a snarky, slightly self-deprecating narration from Jay make this a standout in the YA market.  If you’re a Griffin fan or new to his work, this is one you don’t want to miss out.

Both Nicole and Jay are fully-realized characters who display growth throughout the course of the book.  Although Jay provides the book’s narration, readers are treated to snippets of Nicole’s diary throughout the novel.  Despite this, she remains somewhat of a mystery to readers and to Jay, which strengthens the book’s central mystery.  A cast of other characters and suspects make this a riveting read.

Although the novel starts slow, the build up to the satisfying and incredibly tense reveal and conclusion is well worth it.  Once it gets going, it really gets going, and while some savvy readers might be able to finger the perp before Jay does, the reveal is still shocking.  There’s a lot to think about and talk about here, and Griffin never gives his readers any of the easy, pat answers.

Definitely a contemporary YA novel to have on your shelves (personal or otherwise), this one is a standout in the mystery/thriller genre.  A deeply affecting author’s note (don’t read until you’ve finished the book!) makes it all the more poignant.

Highly recommended.

Burning Blue by Paul Griffin. Dial: 2012.  Library copy.

Book Review: Night Beach by Kirsty Eagar

For Abbie, her life revolves around three things: art, the ocean, and Kane, her broody surfer step-cousin.  Always out of reach, Abbie watches him and obsesses over him.  But when Kane comes back from a mysterious surf trip to an even more mysterious island, Abbie senses that something is wrong.  Kane carries a darkness that threatens to envelop them both.

It’s hard to summarize Eagar’s brilliant, darkly gothic novel without giving too much of it away.  The book is about a girl with a heightened emotional state, and maybe because of this heightened state (or in spite of?), supernatural events begin to occur.  Readers looking for an intensely atmospheric and engrossing tale should look no further than this one.  Eagar somehow manages to spin a paranormal tale that feels firmly rooted in the real world.  I’ve said it before and it might as well be my mantra: Eagar is an author to watch.

The atmosphere isn’t the only aspect of Eagar’s novel that entraps the reader.  Vivid, authentic characters propel the narrative forward.  Abbie is raw and flawed, and her obsession with Kane is only one thing that clouds her judgment.  Her love of painting distorts reality for her, as she struggles to see beyond the surface of things.  Her creative impulses mirror her other impulses, and readers will find her exasperating as well as worth rooting for.

Kane is harder to like, but because of Abbie’s fixation on him, it’s hard not to see the appeal.  He’s the quintessential surfer with a darker side, and while he’s definitely a selfish, hardened character, there’s no questioning his attraction.  Eagar is especially adept at creating characters who feel undeniably real: they may not be what you expect, and the story is the better for it.

Tension abounds in this taut novel.  Not every reader is going to “get” this one, and it’s certainly not the Eagar novel I’d recommend a person start with, but it has no shortage of merits.  Eagar’s prose is pitch-perfect, lush, and evocative.  There’s never a moment where she’s not in total control of her words, and the story moves along at a great clip as a result.  This is a stunning novel, and one that will stick with you long after you’ve reached the novel’s satisfyingly murky conclusion.

Recommended.

Night Beach by Kirsty Eagar. Penguin Books Australia: 2012.  Purchased copy.

Book Review: Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Josie Moraine is living in New Orlean’s French Quarter in 1950.  The daughter of a prostitute, Josie is bright, motivated, but marked by her mother’s profession.  All Josie wants is to get out of the seedy world of New Orleans, but obstacles keep getting in her way.  When a mysterious death in the Quarter, Josie gets caught in the investigation.  Before the mystery is solved, Josie’s trust will be broken and she’ll find herself caught in a moral dilemma.

It’s impossible not to get completely immersed in this rich historical novel.  It’s the kind of historical fiction that will grab even the most skeptical of readers because everything about it is so rich.  The characters, the setting, and the story create a gripping, fascinating read.  This is a winner for sure.

Josie is a memorable heroine.  She’s got an authentic voice and is both street and book smart, making her the kind of girl readers will root for.  The fact that Josie will do anything to get into an elite college–including blackmailing a wealthy local businessman–makes her feel more human.  She isn’t perfect, but she is driven, and because Sepetys is such a good writer, Josie’s also completely sympathetic.

The book is filled with other equally rich characters.  Willie, the rough brothel madam, is excellently drawn.  Her fierce love for Josie is palpable, but her incredibly hard exterior makes it next to impossible for her to show it.  Other characters, including Cokie, the sensitive chauffer who acts as a sort of father-figure to Josie, are particularly memorable.  Although the cast is rather large, it’s never hard to keep them all straight.

A rich setting and a meaty mystery add to the book’s appeal.  Despite clocking in at over 300 pages, it’s a quick read, mostly because readers won’t be able to put it down.  The book builds the suspense and tension to a genuinely thrilling conclusion.  The resolution is satisfying but realistic, and it’s more than a little moving, too.

Definitely a stand-out read this year.  Highly recommended.

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys.  Philomel Books: 2013.  Library copy.

Book Review: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

In 1986, Park meets Eleanor on the school bus.  They are both misfits in their own way, and the two form an unlikely friendship that develops into a first love so profound that neither can totally comprehend it.  But with seemingly insurmountable obstacles, the two might not be able to stay together, especially when one of them faces an unsafe situation.

One could make the argument that this book has many common elements in YA.  To a certain extent, this is a true statement.  But there’s something about how Rainbow Rowell combines all these elements in this excellent debut novel that makes it special.  The precision and richness of Rowell’s prose combined with vivid characters allows this novel to transcend any tropes and become a singular reading experience.  This is one of the best books of the year.

Told in alternating voices, Rowell manages to set both voices apart.  Readers experience what the duo does: the funny, thrilling stirrings of first love and the intense feelings that come with it as well as the harder stuff of life.  Eleanor’s home life is awful, and the increasing threat of her drunk, abusive stepfather gives the novel an urgency.  The contrast between Eleanor’s poverty-stricken home and Park’s lower-middle class one is sharply defined and incredibly fascinating.  Authenticity rings from every page.

Well drawn characters don’t end with the book’s leads.  Parks parents are two of the most well-drawn and interesting adult characters you’ll ever encounter in a YA novel.  There’s so much nuance here, and so much detail, that it’s impossible not to get sucked into the world in which Park and Eleanor inhabit.  This is simply great reading.

Sexy, funny, and hopeful, this is a novel for YA and adult readers alike.  Immediately after finishing, this reviewer went out and bought a hardcover copy.  Expect it to make the best-of lists come next winter.  It’s certainly worthy.  Highly, highly recommended.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. St. Martin’s Press: 2013. Library copy.

Graphic Novel Series You Should Check Out: Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughn

Posting on this here blog has been more sporadic than I’d like due in large part to how busy I am.  But it’s also due to the fact that my reading is down, and the things I’ve been reading aren’t actually out yet–I’m that deep into some ARCs these days.  So instead, I thought I’d talk a little about a graphic novel series that I think is well worth your time.

Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughn.  Originally published as a series of comics beginning in 2002, the series focuses on our world.  A strange virus has wiped out every mammal with a Y chromosome–every man and animal was killed instantly, leaving behind only women to pick up the pieces.  Except, for some reason, one man (child) has survived: Yorick Brown and his male Capuchin monkey Ampersand have somehow managed to survive against all odds and reason.  The two of them set off with the mysterious (and totally kick-ass) Agent 355 in search of Dr. Mann, who might be able to help them figure out why Yorick survived–and if there’s a way to bring humankind back from the brink of extinction.

That’s a very basic summary of a graphic novel series whose twists and turns keep readers guessing all the way to the series’ moving and memorable end.  The series has been collected into 10 paperbacks or 5 (gorgeous) hardcover deluxe editions.  It’s the kind of post-apocalyptic series that finds appeal with both adults and teens.  Stephen King once called it “the best graphic novel [he's] ever read.”

It’s definitely the best, most compelling graphic novel I’ve ever read or re-read.  On this time through, I’ve noticed so much more about the mythology of the story and the characters.  It’s a story that is rich, complex, and never easy, and it’s definitely a staple for any graphic novel collection.  It’s funny and heart-breaking and often really, really awesome.

There’s a movie in the works, but it’s been in the works for a long time.  Who knows if we’ll ever see it–I hope we do, but I’m also nervous about it, because I want it to be so, so good.

If you haven’t read it, consider doing so soon.  It’s really that good.

Book Review: The Reece Malcolm List by Amy Spalding

Devan has never met her mother Reece Malcolm.  All she knows about her is that she’s a bestselling author, likes coffee and bourbon, and lives in or near Los Angeles.  But when Devan’s father dies, she’s shipped off to live with this elusive woman she has never met.  L.A. is a whole new world for Devan, and that includes the posh new performing arts school she starts attending.  But there is so much Devan doesn’t know about Reece–and so much she wants to say–that Devan wonders if they’ll ever approach anything normal.

Spalding’s debut novel could easily fall into the trap of being an overly sentimental novel about a girl’s readjustment after being shipped off to live with her estranged mother, but it never quite succumbs to that particular trope.  Although the novel isn’t what this reader would consider a perfect read, there’s a lot going for it, and readers are likely to gobble this warm, frequently funny novel right up.

It helps that the novel is fully grounded in its characters and its sense of place.  When Devan (I will never not hate that name, nor its spelling) arrives in Los Angeles, it’s clear that she’s out of her element, both in terms geographical and familial.  This is done particularly well in the case of Devan and Reece’s burgeoning relationship, as Reece is a really prickly pear.

Strong character development, especially between Reece and Devan and Brad, Reece’s live-in boyfriend.  Both of them are extraordinarily well-developed, especially for parents in a YA novel.  Brad and Reece have completely different personalities and styles and yet complement one another.  Devan’s fascination in watching them is palpable and authentic.

There are things that don’t totally work here, though.  At times, it felt like the plot contrivances were just too convenient to totally buy (Devan’s now-dead, emotionally absent father, her ability to navigate the boys in her new school, etc).  It felt, more than anything, a little like lazy plotting.  But most readers will be able to overlook this and drink in the details of a book that is often very funny and ultimately very sweet.

Recommended, especially to fans of YA fiction looking for meaty family issues with some lighter stuff thrown in.  Especially great for fans of musical theater, as that secondary plot point takes up a fair number of pages.  Despite some misgivings about the convenience of some of the book’s events, there’s no denying that this one was fun.

The Reece Malcolm List by Amy Spalding.  Entangled: 2013. Electronic copy for review.

Movie Review: Hello I Must Be Going (2012)

Amy Minsky (Melanie Lysnkey) is in her thirties and fresh out of a marriage she didn’t want out of.  She’s back home with her image-conscious parents in their Connecticut home, and she’s a total mess.  When she meets Jeremy (Christopher Abbott), the 19-year-old son of one of her dad’s prospective clients, the two begin a steamy, secret affair and end up discovering themselves in the process.

This quiet, contemplative indie debuted at Sundance last year, and yet it manages to circumvent a lot of the quirky indie tropes that plague so many movies similar to this one.  Through it’s stellar cast performances and quiet, wry script, the movie ends up being a surprising little gem that you’ve never heard of.  This is definitely a title to seek out–it’s well worth your time.

For once, Melanie Lynskey gets to break out of her traditionally character-bit-part roles and shine as the film’s star.  She’s luminous onscreen, and watching her slowly peel away the layers of her depression and start to realize her own worth is amazing.  It’s impossible to take your eyes off her when she’s onscreen.  You can’t help but root for her, and hope that she’ll find her way–and herself–eventually.

She’s matched in talent and intensity by Abbott, who manages to create a 19-year-old boy who is searching for something just as much as Lynskey’s character.  Instead of going full-on brooding, though, Abbott creates a quiet intensity in his character that makes him all the more sympathetic.  It doesn’t hurt that the two of them have excellent chemistry, either.

The supporting cast is good and the movie doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel.  Viewers should pretty  much know what they’re in for once the movie starts, but that doesn’t make it a less enjoyable experience.  Lynskey and Abbott are so good, and the movie’s rising action so satisfying, that this is one it would be hard not to enjoy.

Recommended.

 

Book Review: Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough

“Beware of Long Lankin…” is an old English song that warns of a sinister creature who seems to have a penchant for eating babies.  When Cora and her younger sister Mimi are essentially dumped on their elderly aunt in a very isolated village in England, they don’t feel very welcome.  Aunt Ida is absolutely rigid in her house rules, and the girls feel stifled and desperate to get back to London.  They don’t understand their aunt’s fear, and when Cora and some village boys begin to uncover the evil that lurks in the town’s history, she begins to understand what her aunt dreads so much.

Barraclough’s novel doesn’t waste time in setting up the creeping feelings it lends its readers.  From the instant Cora and her sister Mimi are dumped with their Auntie Ida, the girls feel unwelcome.  Their aunt tells them in no uncertain terms that they are to keep the doors and windows locked at all times, no matter how hot it gets inside the cottage.  They aren’t allowed to explore the house or go down to the marshes–especially when the tide is out.  All of this helps to set the stage for the stifling, restrictive feeling the book puts its characters and readers through.

Of course, kids being kids, the rules get broken, and with the help of some local boys looking for summer distractions, things go quickly awry.  Barraclough has multiple points of view narrating the story, and they all work exceedingly well, but this is especially true in the case of Auntie Ida.  As frustrated as Cora and the reader are with Ida’s unwillingness to talk about what’s happening or why she is the way she is, her narrative pieces help unravel the hard, awful life she’s lived.

So many elements of the book work together to create a truly memorable, creepy read, but it’s worth noting that Barraclough keeps her prose tight and her narrative authoritative.  Even though the actual horror isn’t fully exposed until well into the second half of the book, most readers won’t mind: the suspense is that good.

This is a creeping horror story for sophisticated readers looking for something to really sink their teeth into (please, ignore the pun).  Barraclough’s dark, atmospheric novel runs a little long, but the building suspense and vivid characters help to carry the plot towards its chilling conclusion.  Many reviews have already said it, but it bears repeating: be prepared to read the last 100 pages all in one sitting).

Recommended.

Long Lankin by Lindsay Barraclough. Candlewick: 2012. Library copy.