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A review by jenniferdinsmore
Flannery by Lisa Moore
Lisa Moore is one of Canada's most celebrated writers. I've read, and loved, February and Caught (shortlisted for the 2013 Giller Prize) for different reasons, but I mostly admire Moore for her rare ability to create startling and gorgeous images of the everyday with just a few choice words.
So when I heard about her new YA novel, Flannery, I knew I had to give it a go.
In short, Flannery Malone is in love with Tyrone O'Rourke. Has been since they were children and spent almost every waking minute together. Over the years they've grown apart, but fate intervenes when they are paired together for a school project. But Tyrone isn't the Tyrone she used to know. In fact, it seems no one is: not Tyrone, her mother, or her best friend Amber, who is going down a very dark path of her own.
All in all, Moore's first YA novel was ... okay. I enjoyed it, and Moore's talent shines through, but I felt as though many things were left incomplete. The story line with Tyrone is meant to carry the novel, yet for a few powerful scenes he is largely absent. I was much more interested in Flannery's changing relationship with Amber, a girl throwing away all she has known and loved for a boy, although Amber barely makes an appearance. The climax of her story serves as to that of the book, but as a result it feels out of place. At home, Flannery must deal with her flighty, artistic mother, grapple with having to care for her much younger brother, and ponder how different her life would be should she have known her father.
By the end, I felt like Moore had started all these very interesting and in-depth plots, only to hastily tie them together in a way I'm not sure worked. (Some, like the issues with her family, simply disappeared.) Things seemed to magically work out, though not always easily, and the last few chapters felt rushed. One hundred, or even fifty, more pages may have helped make the book more cohesive.
So, give it a go for the gorgeous writing and exploration of different relationships, or if you are looking for a light, enjoyable read. Until then, I eagerly await Moore's next return to form.
So when I heard about her new YA novel, Flannery, I knew I had to give it a go.
In short, Flannery Malone is in love with Tyrone O'Rourke. Has been since they were children and spent almost every waking minute together. Over the years they've grown apart, but fate intervenes when they are paired together for a school project. But Tyrone isn't the Tyrone she used to know. In fact, it seems no one is: not Tyrone, her mother, or her best friend Amber, who is going down a very dark path of her own.
All in all, Moore's first YA novel was ... okay. I enjoyed it, and Moore's talent shines through, but I felt as though many things were left incomplete. The story line with Tyrone is meant to carry the novel, yet for a few powerful scenes he is largely absent. I was much more interested in Flannery's changing relationship with Amber, a girl throwing away all she has known and loved for a boy, although Amber barely makes an appearance. The climax of her story serves as to that of the book, but as a result it feels out of place. At home, Flannery must deal with her flighty, artistic mother, grapple with having to care for her much younger brother, and ponder how different her life would be should she have known her father.
By the end, I felt like Moore had started all these very interesting and in-depth plots, only to hastily tie them together in a way I'm not sure worked. (Some, like the issues with her family, simply disappeared.) Things seemed to magically work out, though not always easily, and the last few chapters felt rushed. One hundred, or even fifty, more pages may have helped make the book more cohesive.
So, give it a go for the gorgeous writing and exploration of different relationships, or if you are looking for a light, enjoyable read. Until then, I eagerly await Moore's next return to form.