Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac
by Gabrielle Zevin.
Right off the bat, I was amused by the contradiction in the title. And the flap was intriguing.
So we have Naomi, who lost a coin toss, went back into the school to grab a camera and lock up, and on the way out, lands at the bottom of the school steps with a head injury and amnesia going back some four years. Meaning she has forgotten a lot - all of high school, some major family and life events, much about her relationships with others in the school. She's sort of starting over, and starting over knowing she's a bit of a curiosity in the school. In high school. Ouch.
It's a tough book to talk about without giving some of the twists and turns and discoveries away, and I think they are worth leaving for you to discover, so I will instead, just note that as she learns things and navigates her way forward through that and her re-entry into school, she finds herself interested in some different things and people, learns more than she initially might expect, and does some real growing up along the way.
By the end, she is in some ways where she started, and in other, important ways, in a very different place. I like the ending, it does wind up how I would hope, and i think the person she ends up as is a much more likeable person, all told.
I really liked this one, and kept wanting to know what came next, always a good sign. I'm not telling you a lot, here, but I will tell you I think it's a great read.
Right off the bat, I was amused by the contradiction in the title. And the flap was intriguing.
So we have Naomi, who lost a coin toss, went back into the school to grab a camera and lock up, and on the way out, lands at the bottom of the school steps with a head injury and amnesia going back some four years. Meaning she has forgotten a lot - all of high school, some major family and life events, much about her relationships with others in the school. She's sort of starting over, and starting over knowing she's a bit of a curiosity in the school. In high school. Ouch.
It's a tough book to talk about without giving some of the twists and turns and discoveries away, and I think they are worth leaving for you to discover, so I will instead, just note that as she learns things and navigates her way forward through that and her re-entry into school, she finds herself interested in some different things and people, learns more than she initially might expect, and does some real growing up along the way.
By the end, she is in some ways where she started, and in other, important ways, in a very different place. I like the ending, it does wind up how I would hope, and i think the person she ends up as is a much more likeable person, all told.
I really liked this one, and kept wanting to know what came next, always a good sign. I'm not telling you a lot, here, but I will tell you I think it's a great read.
Labels: 2007, family, friendship, growing up, issues, love story, loved it, teen
# posted by kittenpie @ 9:59 AM 
