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A review by kbranfield
A World Without You by Beth Revis
4.0
A World Without You by Beth Revis is a heartbreakingly realistic depiction of a seventeen year old young man's struggle with mental illness.
Attending the Berkshire Academy on an island off the Massachusetts coast, Bo believes the school is for gifted students who have "superpowers". His superpower is the ability to travel back in time, his girlfriend Sophía's gift is invisibility and his classmates' gifts range from telekinesis (Ryan) to pyrokinesis (Gwen) and speaking with the dead (Harold). Unfortunately, his assumptions could not be farther from the truth since, in actuality, he and his classmates are suffering from a wide range of mental illnesses. After Sophía commits suicide, Bo is convinced he time traveled with her back to 1692 where he accidentally left her. Frantically trying to "rescue" her, he sinks deeper into his delusions and as he becomes certain someone is trying to control his mind, Bo ignores evidence that conflicts with his belief he and his classmates have superpowers that the school is teaching them to manage.
Although Bo's perceptions are completely unreliable, his fear, anger, confusion and grief are all too real. Utterly convinced Sophía's disappearance is his fault, he is frantic to figure out how to use the "timestream" to get back to 1692 so he can rescue her before she falls victim to the Salem Witch Trials. His anger over everyone's insistence that she is dead is palpable as is his fervent belief that he and his classmates are at the Berkshire Academy to learn how to control their "superpowers". Some of his delusions are based on real life events, however, Bo's psychosis skews his perception about what is really happening around him. He believes, with all his heart, that his version of reality is correct, that any contradiction of his viewpoint is suspect and somehow altered by outside forces. Readers get an in-depth view of how his mind works as Bo desperately tries to bring Sophía back and these heart wrenching chapters are a true to life portrayal of how someone with a mental illness thinks and acts.
Although mostly written from Bo's point of view, occasional chapters from his sister Phoebe's perspective show the effects of his mental illness on the rest of the family. Through her eyes, readers see the disruption and destruction he wreaks when he is home. The emotional toll is high as everyone tries to keep the peace when he is around and Phoebe feels enormous pressure to be the "perfect" child in an effort to balance out Bo's problems.
A World Without You by Beth Revis is a heartachingly honest young adult novel that is as fascinating as it is poignant. This impressive story provides an informative, well-researched look into what someone suffering from delusions, paranoia or psychosis experiences on a day to day basis. Although the storyline occasionally gets a little bogged down and repetitive during Bo's attempts to find Sophía, the plot is refreshingly unique and quite compelling. A heartrending yet surprisingly hopeful novel that I found impossible to put down and highly recommend to readers of all ages.
Attending the Berkshire Academy on an island off the Massachusetts coast, Bo believes the school is for gifted students who have "superpowers". His superpower is the ability to travel back in time, his girlfriend Sophía's gift is invisibility and his classmates' gifts range from telekinesis (Ryan) to pyrokinesis (Gwen) and speaking with the dead (Harold). Unfortunately, his assumptions could not be farther from the truth since, in actuality, he and his classmates are suffering from a wide range of mental illnesses. After Sophía commits suicide, Bo is convinced he time traveled with her back to 1692 where he accidentally left her. Frantically trying to "rescue" her, he sinks deeper into his delusions and as he becomes certain someone is trying to control his mind, Bo ignores evidence that conflicts with his belief he and his classmates have superpowers that the school is teaching them to manage.
Although Bo's perceptions are completely unreliable, his fear, anger, confusion and grief are all too real. Utterly convinced Sophía's disappearance is his fault, he is frantic to figure out how to use the "timestream" to get back to 1692 so he can rescue her before she falls victim to the Salem Witch Trials. His anger over everyone's insistence that she is dead is palpable as is his fervent belief that he and his classmates are at the Berkshire Academy to learn how to control their "superpowers". Some of his delusions are based on real life events, however, Bo's psychosis skews his perception about what is really happening around him. He believes, with all his heart, that his version of reality is correct, that any contradiction of his viewpoint is suspect and somehow altered by outside forces. Readers get an in-depth view of how his mind works as Bo desperately tries to bring Sophía back and these heart wrenching chapters are a true to life portrayal of how someone with a mental illness thinks and acts.
Although mostly written from Bo's point of view, occasional chapters from his sister Phoebe's perspective show the effects of his mental illness on the rest of the family. Through her eyes, readers see the disruption and destruction he wreaks when he is home. The emotional toll is high as everyone tries to keep the peace when he is around and Phoebe feels enormous pressure to be the "perfect" child in an effort to balance out Bo's problems.
A World Without You by Beth Revis is a heartachingly honest young adult novel that is as fascinating as it is poignant. This impressive story provides an informative, well-researched look into what someone suffering from delusions, paranoia or psychosis experiences on a day to day basis. Although the storyline occasionally gets a little bogged down and repetitive during Bo's attempts to find Sophía, the plot is refreshingly unique and quite compelling. A heartrending yet surprisingly hopeful novel that I found impossible to put down and highly recommend to readers of all ages.