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3.28 AVERAGE
3.28 AVERAGE
OK book....I guess. I just didn't get the point of this story - a very weird plot.
It saddens me to read some of the reviews for this marvelous novel, and as I Tweeted to the author, clearly some people just don't get it. I will say that to appreciate Imaginary Girls, you have to be the kind of reader who is okay with not having a story fully explained and tied up in a neat bow. It's a literary novel. It makes you think. No one's leading you by the hand here.
But what Nova Ren Suma does so very well is lead you just far enough.
It's one of those stories that I hate to say too much about for fear of selling it short. In a way, it's a mystery/suspense tale: 14-year-old Chloe goes to a party at the reservoir with her 19-year-old sister, the luminous Ruby, who everyone loves and admires and lusts after. Bragging about Chloe's swimming ability, Ruby declares that Chloe could swim clear across the reservoir if she wanted to. So Chloe, always eager to please, sets out to do just that.
This is hide-your-eyes time. It's pitch-black, Chloe can't see where she's going, and she's running out of strength. It's a recipe for disaster. But somehow, just as she's ready to give up, she comes across a rowboat in the middle of the reservoir. She's saved, but someone else is not. Inside the rowboat is a dead girl--a classmate of Chloe's.
From there, the novel turns surreal. Is Chloe's classmate really dead? How does her death affect Chloe and Ruby? Why is Ruby so untouchable, and how does she get everyone to do what she wants? The story of their sisterly bond, the picture of this little upstate New York town, the mystery, and the writing itself--the fantastic imagery, the way the words flow like the ripples in the reservoir itself--spurred me on to finish this novel in a couple of hungry gulps. It recalled to me, a bit, Alice Hoffman's mastery, but really, this is all Nova Ren Suma. There's really no one like her, in the young adult genre or anywhere else.
As anyone who reads my reviews knows, I don't hand out many 5-star ratings. This book earned it.
But what Nova Ren Suma does so very well is lead you just far enough.
It's one of those stories that I hate to say too much about for fear of selling it short. In a way, it's a mystery/suspense tale: 14-year-old Chloe goes to a party at the reservoir with her 19-year-old sister, the luminous Ruby, who everyone loves and admires and lusts after. Bragging about Chloe's swimming ability, Ruby declares that Chloe could swim clear across the reservoir if she wanted to. So Chloe, always eager to please, sets out to do just that.
This is hide-your-eyes time. It's pitch-black, Chloe can't see where she's going, and she's running out of strength. It's a recipe for disaster. But somehow, just as she's ready to give up, she comes across a rowboat in the middle of the reservoir. She's saved, but someone else is not. Inside the rowboat is a dead girl--a classmate of Chloe's.
From there, the novel turns surreal. Is Chloe's classmate really dead? How does her death affect Chloe and Ruby? Why is Ruby so untouchable, and how does she get everyone to do what she wants? The story of their sisterly bond, the picture of this little upstate New York town, the mystery, and the writing itself--the fantastic imagery, the way the words flow like the ripples in the reservoir itself--spurred me on to finish this novel in a couple of hungry gulps. It recalled to me, a bit, Alice Hoffman's mastery, but really, this is all Nova Ren Suma. There's really no one like her, in the young adult genre or anywhere else.
As anyone who reads my reviews knows, I don't hand out many 5-star ratings. This book earned it.
I wanted this to be so much more. It took me a while to even understand where the book was going. Ostensibly, I should have loved this book: it's contemporary YA without too much romance and with a little supernatural/magical realism stuff going on. I LOVE magical realism; when it's done well you really think it could happen in real life. I love stories about important/mysterious/significant bodies of water because water fascinates me. I think if I knew more about Olive and the writing was a little more straightforward - I got a little confused sometimes - I would put this book near the top of my favorites. But it just wasn't quite there. I will definitely read more of Nova Ren Suma's books: this was just her debut novel and I think it'll only get better. To be perfectly honest, I just had this on my TBR list because of the cover and I probably wouldn't have picked it up based on the inside flap synopsis had it had a more boring cover, so I am glad the cover is so striking! I'm glad I read it. Ruby is a one of a kind character.
This was great.
full review to come at http://www.notyourfaerytale.blogspot.com
full review to come at http://www.notyourfaerytale.blogspot.com
Originally published to: Bookish
Wow, what a mesmerizing, ominous and eerie read that was! Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma is definitely not your typical Young Adult novel. It’s dark and disquieting, and it will leave you deeply disturbed. Reading this book is like being stuck in a bad dream. Doesn’t matter how hard you try, you can’t make yourself wake up. And even when you finally do wake up, you still won’t be able to shake off the reminiscence of it.
The story revolves around Chloe and her older half-sister, Ruby, and is told from Chloe’s first-person’s perspective. Ruby is the most popular girl in their small hometown. Everyone loves her, admires her, follows her and grants her every wish. It seems like she has the whole town magically wrapped around her finger. She’s a free spirit that can’t be caged or held down by anything or anyone. She knows what she wants from life and exactly which strings to pull to get it. The only thing Ruby truly cares about is Chloe. Being the older sister, Ruby feels responsible for Chloe and will do everything in her power to protect her. And when I say everything, I mean more than you can imagine.
Chloe looks up to her big sis. Thanks to Ruby, she gets to attend cool parties and hang out with cool people. The two girls are inseparable. Ruby is always there for Chloe, she knows exactly what to do to encourage her and make her feel happy. It seems like nothing bad could ever happen to Chloe at Ruby’s watch.
One night, at a party at the local reservoir, something goes terribly wrong. Chloe, encouraged by her sister, tries swimming all the way to the other shore and back. Somewhere in the middle of the deep, dark water she comes across a floating boat. She grabs onto the edge of it, grateful that she can catch her breath and rest a bit, and then she feels something very cold.. something with fingers… It turns out it was her classmate's dead body. This discovery will change Chloe’s life forever and it will be the beginning of a series of bizarre and horrifying events.
The truth is, many authors can set up suspenseful and mystifying situations, but there are very few of them whose prose and dialogue is simplistic and absolutely beautiful at the same time. This intersection between vaguely supernatural and the fantastically enthralling is what makes Nova Ren Suma’s book so masterful. It’s a spectacular page turner that you won’t be able to cast aside. It’s truly a magnificent example of craftsmanship and storytelling that will keep you frantically turning the pages long past bedtime.
For about 250 pages or so you won’t even begin to understand what’s going on. Yes, you will probably get frustrated and the never-ending “Ruby this, Ruby that” might annoy you, but trust me when I say, every word of this book accounts for something. The last 100 pages are truly frightening and the conclusion of the story left me shivering. All of a sudden I lost any enthusiasm for swimming in deep, dark lakes and other bodies of water. Throughout most of the story I was totally clueless and baffled. I couldn’t tell where the story was going and it only added to the overall eerie atmosphere of the book. I don’t think I ever read a novel that would keep me guessing for so long.
The exceptionally strong bond between Ruby and Chloe was deeply touching and perhaps even slightly disturbing at times. Their love so powerful, it could bend the reality and reach beyond the borders of this world. Beautiful, touching, magical.
Nova Ren Suma has a sharp eye for detail. Thanks to her smooth storytelling you can visualize the creepy setting of the novel and almost taste the surreal world she created. Chloe’s narrative voice was very genuine and real. I could almost imagine her sitting very close to me and whispering her secrets in my ear, in a monotone, creepy voice. And honestly, I get goose bumps just thinking about it! The characters were weird, but I guess that’s exactly how they were meant to be, because they blend really well with this story.
Overall, I had a blast reading this book. In a genre where everything has been done a thousand times already, it’s really nice to see original ideas surface. I’m a huge fan of everything dark and twisted, and this book was just a perfect treat for me. I loved it. I simply loved it.
Wow, what a mesmerizing, ominous and eerie read that was! Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma is definitely not your typical Young Adult novel. It’s dark and disquieting, and it will leave you deeply disturbed. Reading this book is like being stuck in a bad dream. Doesn’t matter how hard you try, you can’t make yourself wake up. And even when you finally do wake up, you still won’t be able to shake off the reminiscence of it.
The story revolves around Chloe and her older half-sister, Ruby, and is told from Chloe’s first-person’s perspective. Ruby is the most popular girl in their small hometown. Everyone loves her, admires her, follows her and grants her every wish. It seems like she has the whole town magically wrapped around her finger. She’s a free spirit that can’t be caged or held down by anything or anyone. She knows what she wants from life and exactly which strings to pull to get it. The only thing Ruby truly cares about is Chloe. Being the older sister, Ruby feels responsible for Chloe and will do everything in her power to protect her. And when I say everything, I mean more than you can imagine.
Chloe looks up to her big sis. Thanks to Ruby, she gets to attend cool parties and hang out with cool people. The two girls are inseparable. Ruby is always there for Chloe, she knows exactly what to do to encourage her and make her feel happy. It seems like nothing bad could ever happen to Chloe at Ruby’s watch.
One night, at a party at the local reservoir, something goes terribly wrong. Chloe, encouraged by her sister, tries swimming all the way to the other shore and back. Somewhere in the middle of the deep, dark water she comes across a floating boat. She grabs onto the edge of it, grateful that she can catch her breath and rest a bit, and then she feels something very cold.. something with fingers… It turns out it was her classmate's dead body. This discovery will change Chloe’s life forever and it will be the beginning of a series of bizarre and horrifying events.
The truth is, many authors can set up suspenseful and mystifying situations, but there are very few of them whose prose and dialogue is simplistic and absolutely beautiful at the same time. This intersection between vaguely supernatural and the fantastically enthralling is what makes Nova Ren Suma’s book so masterful. It’s a spectacular page turner that you won’t be able to cast aside. It’s truly a magnificent example of craftsmanship and storytelling that will keep you frantically turning the pages long past bedtime.
For about 250 pages or so you won’t even begin to understand what’s going on. Yes, you will probably get frustrated and the never-ending “Ruby this, Ruby that” might annoy you, but trust me when I say, every word of this book accounts for something. The last 100 pages are truly frightening and the conclusion of the story left me shivering. All of a sudden I lost any enthusiasm for swimming in deep, dark lakes and other bodies of water. Throughout most of the story I was totally clueless and baffled. I couldn’t tell where the story was going and it only added to the overall eerie atmosphere of the book. I don’t think I ever read a novel that would keep me guessing for so long.
The exceptionally strong bond between Ruby and Chloe was deeply touching and perhaps even slightly disturbing at times. Their love so powerful, it could bend the reality and reach beyond the borders of this world. Beautiful, touching, magical.
Nova Ren Suma has a sharp eye for detail. Thanks to her smooth storytelling you can visualize the creepy setting of the novel and almost taste the surreal world she created. Chloe’s narrative voice was very genuine and real. I could almost imagine her sitting very close to me and whispering her secrets in my ear, in a monotone, creepy voice. And honestly, I get goose bumps just thinking about it! The characters were weird, but I guess that’s exactly how they were meant to be, because they blend really well with this story.
Overall, I had a blast reading this book. In a genre where everything has been done a thousand times already, it’s really nice to see original ideas surface. I’m a huge fan of everything dark and twisted, and this book was just a perfect treat for me. I loved it. I simply loved it.
Don't judge a book by it's cover. I chose Imaginary girls because of the beautiful pic, but was a bit dissapointed. I found it quite predictable, especially towards the end. An easy read though
Wow, did Nova Ren Suma study under Joyce Carol Oates? I have never read a young adult book that seemed as inspired by Oates as did this one. Even the YA books written by Joyce Carol Oates are not as etheral and unnatural as Imaginary Girls is.
I felt off-balance and unsettled as I read about Ruby and her sister. I enjoyed not knowing what to expect, inferring what would happen next.
I would recommend this to a strong reader, probably a senior girl.
I felt off-balance and unsettled as I read about Ruby and her sister. I enjoyed not knowing what to expect, inferring what would happen next.
I would recommend this to a strong reader, probably a senior girl.
Ruby and Chloe are sisters living in a small New York town. It seems that everyone and everything revolves around Ruby and she has the uncanny ability to make everyone believe her stories and do things for her. Girls model themselves after her and boys fall in love with her, but the most important person in Ruby’s life is Chloe. Ruby would do anything for her little sister.
But when swimming in the forbidden reservoir one night, Chloe discovers the dead boy of a girl her age from school. Chloe feels close to the death and it shakes her so much that she leaves Ruby and moves in with her dad for two years.
Ruby cannot stand the separation and comes to bring Chloe back home. Ruby claims everything is back to the way it was and it is - in a strange way. London, the dead girl, is very much alive, to Chloe’s shock. No one in town seems to realize that London should be dead except for her - and she has a sneaking suspicion that Ruby knows too and had something to do with it.
Read the full review here.
But when swimming in the forbidden reservoir one night, Chloe discovers the dead boy of a girl her age from school. Chloe feels close to the death and it shakes her so much that she leaves Ruby and moves in with her dad for two years.
Ruby cannot stand the separation and comes to bring Chloe back home. Ruby claims everything is back to the way it was and it is - in a strange way. London, the dead girl, is very much alive, to Chloe’s shock. No one in town seems to realize that London should be dead except for her - and she has a sneaking suspicion that Ruby knows too and had something to do with it.
Read the full review here.
it's a weird book in that it's not really enjoyable to read, but it's such a good story to remember, you know? the imagery and the emotion, it's a lot easier to swallow in retrospect - it's really, really good. it gets five stars for that, but it might not be something i ever want to touch again.