Category: Contemporary

‘Holding Up the Universe’ – Jennifer Niven

Holding Up the Universe

Being dubbed ‘America’s Fattest Teen’ means that everyone knows Libby Strout’s name. But they don’t know her, and have never tried to look beyond the surface. She will always be remembered by some as the girl who had to be airlifted out of her home as she’d got too big to leave.

When we first meet Libby she is about to start High School and she describes herself as attempting to rejoin the human race. This view has been criticised by a number of readers as Niven being anti-obesity, which strikes me as more than a little naïve. Libby’s comments seem to stem from her desire to accept who she is and how she manages her emotional state over her mother’s death. She has got used to coping alone, but now recognises that she needs other people and has to learn to lean on others for support.

Another character who is used to people viewing him in a certain light is Jack Masselin. From the outset of the novel we are told that he has a condition that means he doesn’t recognise faces. This is useful because, initially, he does not come across favourably. However, as he spends time with Libby we see he has a level of self-awareness that tempers the less appealing aspects of his personality, and I liked the fact that he forms quite a close bond with Libby.

Some of the events in the novel were a little unrealistic, or at least the characters’ reactions to them were, but it was an interesting read. There were some great moments between the two main characters, and I particularly liked the supporting characters.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my thoughts, and I hope that people don’t get put off reading this because of the comments made by some reviewers.

‘Dangerous Lies’ – Becca Fitzpatrick

Dangerous Lies

‘Dangerous Lies’ really did feel like a book of two halves.

The story begins immediately after Estella has witnessed a brutal murder, carried out by a dangerous man (her addict mother’s dealer) that the Feds want to put away. So Estella and her mother are enrolled under the witness protection program and everything changes.

The opening of the book presented seventeen year old Estella at her most awful. She sounds like she’s has a pretty tough time and got used to coping alone, but her unwillingness to let those around her do their job was frustrating. She began by whining about what a hardship leaving her boyfriend is and complaining about the middle-of-nowhere town she’s been sent to, so there really isn’t much to like about her. In fact, Fitzpatrick almost goes out of her way to make the main character as unlikeable as possible.

However, Estella – for her safety now known as Stella – does not keep up the brat-act. Slowly, she finds people that matter to her and learns to behave more like a young adult. There is a gradual self-realisation that takes place, and the relationship that develops between her and Carmina is nicely presented.

While the romance between Chet and Stella is obvious, it doesn’t stop you as a reader wanting it to happen. Inevitably, the romance takes up a fair amount of time, but it is when we get towards the second half of the novel and the ‘thriller’ element that this becomes a much better read.

Sensing the net drawing in, and then learning the truth about Stella’s past, did take me by surprise a little. The resolution was a bit feel-good but it did move away from the bleakness that had settled in.

‘Nothing Tastes As Good’ – Claire Hennessy

Nothing Tastes as Good

Released in July 2016, this novel by Claire Hennessy has come in for criticism with some reviewers who dislike the sentiments expressed about body image and size. Perhaps I’m missing something, but the blurb hints strongly at the nature of the illness our main character, Annabel, has been living with. I think it’s unnecessarily provocative to seize on the thoughts and ideas she has (which are the product of her illness) and to see them as representative of the author’s views. Indeed, in response to me asking Claire Hennessy on Goodreads what she felt about those readers who had been critical of this novel she had this to say:

Hennessy quote

Annabel, our main character, is dead. As a ghost desperate for further contact with her family she is asked to complete an assignment. Her assignment involves helping someone she used to go to school with – Julia. Initially, Annabel is not told how she has to help Julia and it was a little confusing trying to work out just how the girls were linked and what Annabel would be required to do.

What I loved from the start was the way Hennessy portrayed the character of Annabel. Comments about her personal health and circumstances, and her comments about Julia and other girls she has met, suggest that Annabel is not quite as healthy and strong-minded as she believes herself to be. The gradual revelation of the extent to which Annabel and those around her have been affected by her anorexia was powerful.

Although Annabel is the main character, Julia’s role in the novel is equally important. Through Julia, Hennessy sensitively explores a number of issues that impact on many teenage girls today.

This is, in my view, a brave book and one that I feel any teenager – or adult working with teenagers – should be encouraged to read.

‘Local Girl Swept Away – Ellen Wittlinger

Local Girl Swept Away

Thanks to Merit Press via edelweiss for the advance copy of this. I’d read mixed reviews, so I’m afraid this languished on my kindle for a while as I wanted to be in the right mood for this before I read it.

The story is set in a small village and focuses on a tight-knit group of friends. One of them, Lorna, is swept off the breakwater one night and her remains are not found. While life goes on, for those left behind – Jackie, Lucas and Finn – things are never quite the same.

Reminiscent of a lot of YA fiction I found myself wondering what the appeal of Lorna was for these teenagers – I never felt we got to see enough of her as a character to justify the way they reacted to her going missing. Though the three remaining teenagers evidently miss Lorna, the shift in their relationships makes for interesting reading.

I liked the way those left behind changed during the course of the novel, becoming that little more self-confident and less reliant on the figure of Lorna their leader to authorise their actions. I did feel that the focus on character meant what came towards the end was fairly obviously sign-posted.

 

‘Gilt Hollow’ – Lorie Langdon

Gilt Hollow

Thanks to Blink and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this novel in advance of its publication (expected late September 2016) in exchange for an honest review.

The cover immediately draws you in and hints at the mystery that we are told surrounds the events that took place in Gilt Hollow some years previously. We are told that Willow has always maintained the innocence of her friend Ashton – sentenced to a period in juvenile detention for killing one of his peers – but when he is released she begins to wonder if she is mistaken.

Initially, the opening to the novel was slow. However, the setting of Gilt Hollow and the characters who inhabit it were strangely reminiscent of Twin Peaks. Everyone seemed to be hiding something, and the stench of corruption was hard to avoid. It made for a very intriguing puzzle, as Willow tried to determine exactly what happened on the night Daniel fell from the cliff.

Of course, things do not happen in a straightforward fashion. Where would the fun be in that? For those who like mystery with a hint of menace, I think you’ll be impressed.

 

‘Silence is Goldfish’ – Annabel Pitcher

Silence is Goldfish

Not long before this novel was published in October 2015 I was lucky enough to get a sneak glimpse at three chapters. I’d loved My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece and Ketchup Clouds so was excited to see what this novel was like. Pitcher has always struck me as a writer who is adept at creating character and getting you to feel sympathetic towards characters who don’t always have something obviously appealing about them.

Tess Turner has always felt like she doesn’t fit in. She says and does things to please people, but the sense of isolation she gives off is pervasive. When the novel opens we see Tess reeling with the realisation that she is not who she thinks she is. After reading a blog entry that her father wrote, Tess learns that ‘dad’ is not her biological father.

While this news would be upsetting, I was struck by the fact that Tess’s relationship with her parents is so bad that she can’t talk to them about what she has seen. Her reaction was, to me, a little odd. Stopping talking and withdrawing from all social interaction was the kind of coping mechanism that I can’t imagine occurring for long.

I’m pleased that I got the opportunity to read this via NetGalley, but it was not one of those novels that I’d urge people to read.

 

‘The Fixes’ – Owen Matthews

The Fixes

 

Published at the end of August 2016, I was fortunate to receive a copy of this novel from Edelweiss and HarperTeen in exchange for an honest review. Described as Gossip Girl meets Heathers this novel is one that will definitely not appeal to everyone.

The Fixes tells the story of a group of high-school students determined to fix the things that they see as being wrong in their town. Unfortunately, their methods for fixing these issues are not always particularly acceptable – and some are highly illegal. Eric Connelly – destined for great things in his father’s eyes – is not used to going against expectations. However, when he meets spoiled rich kid Jordan Grant it is clear that Eric has been looking for the opportunity to break out of his pre-defined role.

My views on this varied as I was reading. Initially I liked the tone of voice that had Eric talking directly to us, and telling us what was coming (it reminded me of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off). During the novel I felt more than a little irritated watching spoiled rich kids swanning round town and doing silly things for entertainment, and then I found myself desperate to found out just how we were going to arrive at the point we’d been told to expect.

For me this was a novel where the writer was trying very hard to be clever – and had to forcibly remind us just how clever he was being. However, this did not detract too much from what was actually a refreshing idea and an interesting exploration of contemporary ideas.

‘The Truth About Alice’ – Jennifer Mathieu

The Truth About Alice

This debut novel deals with a number of highly relevant issues, and is written in a very easy-to-read style that will appeal to those teenagers who want to read something topical but don’t necessarily want to have to read a lot.

In Mathieu’s book we are told about Alice Franklin, a young lady who has always been a little different to her peers. Rumours circulate that she had sex with two boys in the same night at a recent party, and so begins a rather inevitable process of name-calling. The conflict between how male and female behaviour is regarded is important, but the real story comes from the fact that not long afterwards one of the boys – a local football hero – is killed in a road crash and it seems Alice was sending sexually explicit messages to him just before he died.

While the exploration of attitudes to teenage sexuality and reputation is pertinent, I found the novel itself quite hard to like as much as others I’ve read on similar topics. We are told about Alice and what happens through the eyes of everyone else, so I think it’s difficult to feel any real empathy with this character. A lot of the other characters who feature in the story are fairly unpleasant, and the hypocrisy of their attitudes annoyed me (I’m sure this was intentional).

 

‘A Step Toward Falling’ – Cammie McGovern

A Step Toward Falling

Published in October 2015, thanks to NetGalley for the digital copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

When Emily is at one of her school football games she sees someone being attacked and does nothing. Convincing herself that Lucas, one of the football team who comes onto the scene just after her, will do the right thing and call the police she leaves. Neither student says anything, and it is down to Belinda – a student with a learning disability – to save herself.

As a consequence for Emily and Lucas’s lack of action they are instructed to volunteer in a class for students with learning disabilities. Not that this really does anything to help Belinda deal with what happened to her, but it allows the writer to get her message across that we need to look beneath the surface of people and see what they’re really like rather than judge them on appearance/reputation.

Initially, it looked like the focus would be on the attack and its consequences but the writer seemed to skirt around this issue. It was never explicitly discussed and it seemed to be more of a device to get Emily and Lucas – who would never have ended up in the same room – together. For this reason I wonder if it was necessary.

We jump viewpoints and this is a little confusing at first, but it does allow us a clear insight into the minds of Emily and Belinda. Though their lives are very different, we come to see how similar they are.

The story itself is quite slow. There’s not a great plot here, but it is a thoughtful attempt to encourage people to consider others and how we often miss out on opportunities due to our tendency to prejudge others. Unfortunately, it all felt too earnest to really make me want to tell others to read it.

‘Eligible’ – Curtis Sittenfeld

Eligible

 

I love the satire of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and I suppose that means I’m slightly more open to it being updated. In this fourth in the series of Jane Austen updates Sittenfeld gets to play with a great cast of characters.

The whole point of these characters is that we’re not meant to find them particularly appealing, but I find that intriguing. On the whole I think Sittenfeld is successful in transplanting the Bennets et al into modern American society. Bingley is now Chip, a reality TV star/doctor, and Darcy is a brain surgeon. The Bennets are a family obsessed with appearance, but Mrs Bennet has a shopping addiction and Mr Bennet is in denial about the state of the family fortune and his ailing health. Their relationships are fairly true to the original, while having the updates needed to reflect our modern obsessions/concerns.

Personally, from the first pages I was giggling away and laughing out loud on occasion. A thoroughly enjoyable read.