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bookph1le 's review for:
Falling into Place
by Amy Zhang
Brutal, but with a tinge of hope at the end. The writing is very raw, which probably has to do with the fact that the author is so young. I admire the honesty of it. More complete review to come.
Full review:
This is more of a three and a half star book than a four star book, simply because it has a very raw edge to it. However, the rawness is part of what makes this book special and what makes it stand apart from a slew of similar YA books. There's a noticeable difference between an older author writing about teens while looking back from a perspective of life experience, and an actual teen writing about teens. The voice is more authentic, but the downside is that it also lacks some perspective. I think it's fair to note that this book does not take a rosy picture of the teenage years. Teens in this book use drugs, suffer from eating disorders, and engage in sexual behavior, so depending on your sensitivity to these particular topics, this book may not be for you. Some spoilers to follow in this review.
What Zhang tries to do in this book is examine the why behind Liz Emerson decides that suicide is her best option. The construction of the book can be jarring at times since it jumps around the timeline a lot, but what makes it interesting is it allows for the reader to examine what's going on in Liz's life from a variety of perspectives colored by what's happening in her friends' lives. Liz's despair feels very genuine, and it's heartbreaking to watch her feel as if the water just keeps getting higher and higher over her head. One of the things about being a teenager is that you often don't see the light that's ahead at the end of the tunnel, and that's certainly the case for Liz.
Equally troubling are Liz's friend's lives. They're dealing with drug addictions, alcohol abuse, and precocious sexual behavior. It probably doesn't come as a surprise to hear that this is a heavy book, given these descriptions. Many of these kids lead seemingly charmed lives, but Zhang does a nice job of peeling back the thin veneer and showing the sense of futility and despair that underlies a lot of what they do. They're self-destructive, but their self-destructive behavior is understandable; due to the physiology of the teen brain, adolescents are navigating through difficult waters without a map or compass.
I admired how Zhang doesn't shy away from portraying the grittiness of their behavior, particularly when it comes to Liz. Sometimes Liz has what feel almost like out of body experiences. She sees what she's doing and doesn't quite know what she's doing it, but she goes ahead and does it anyway. She makes herself a victim to her own animal instincts, but it was clear why she felt like she had no other way out. That's not the reality of the situation, it's her perception of it. With some intervention, all of the teens in this book could likely have benefited a great deal, but I think that might be part of the point of this book too. Teenagers seem like such mysterious creatures to people who aren't teens--despite that they've been teens themselves--and so a lot of what they do is chalked up to the wild impulses of youth. This book is a clear example of how adults can really miss the forest for the trees when it comes to watching for the warning signs teenagers exemplify.
My critique of the novel is that the writing does lack some polish, but this is something I expect will come to Zhang with time and experience. As an adult reader, it was obvious to me that many of the teens were making their problems bigger and, therefore, more unconquerable than they really were, but I also understood why they felt as they did. None of what's in this book surprises me, since I have experience in working closely with teenagers, and much of what an adult can overhear would curl said adult's hair. I was often mystified by how clueless some parents could be when it came to their own children.
And that, I think, is the real service of this book. Teens reading it may identify with the characters' pain and use this book as a means of working through their own issues. Hopefully they'll understand that the path Liz takes is an irreversible one and it'll inspire them to seek out some help. For adults, the value of the novel lies in its honest portrayal of what modern teen life is like. This isn't to say that every teenager is like this. Many are very level headed and mature and are able to put their problems into perspective. As I said earlier, though, due to the way their brains work, not all of them are able to do this, and they need a guiding hand from parents, teachers, and other influential adults in their lives, no matter how much they might balk at the idea. Instead of writing teens off as unknowable and irrational creatures, I hope adults will read a book like this and gain greater empathy for and understanding of what it means to be a teenager. After all, I think most of us would agree that if we had to go back and pick a stage of life to relive, the last one we'd choose would be the teenage years because they are so tumultuous. I look forward to watching Zhang's talents mature.
Full review:
This is more of a three and a half star book than a four star book, simply because it has a very raw edge to it. However, the rawness is part of what makes this book special and what makes it stand apart from a slew of similar YA books. There's a noticeable difference between an older author writing about teens while looking back from a perspective of life experience, and an actual teen writing about teens. The voice is more authentic, but the downside is that it also lacks some perspective. I think it's fair to note that this book does not take a rosy picture of the teenage years. Teens in this book use drugs, suffer from eating disorders, and engage in sexual behavior, so depending on your sensitivity to these particular topics, this book may not be for you. Some spoilers to follow in this review.
What Zhang tries to do in this book is examine the why behind Liz Emerson decides that suicide is her best option. The construction of the book can be jarring at times since it jumps around the timeline a lot, but what makes it interesting is it allows for the reader to examine what's going on in Liz's life from a variety of perspectives colored by what's happening in her friends' lives. Liz's despair feels very genuine, and it's heartbreaking to watch her feel as if the water just keeps getting higher and higher over her head. One of the things about being a teenager is that you often don't see the light that's ahead at the end of the tunnel, and that's certainly the case for Liz.
Equally troubling are Liz's friend's lives. They're dealing with drug addictions, alcohol abuse, and precocious sexual behavior. It probably doesn't come as a surprise to hear that this is a heavy book, given these descriptions. Many of these kids lead seemingly charmed lives, but Zhang does a nice job of peeling back the thin veneer and showing the sense of futility and despair that underlies a lot of what they do. They're self-destructive, but their self-destructive behavior is understandable; due to the physiology of the teen brain, adolescents are navigating through difficult waters without a map or compass.
I admired how Zhang doesn't shy away from portraying the grittiness of their behavior, particularly when it comes to Liz. Sometimes Liz has what feel almost like out of body experiences. She sees what she's doing and doesn't quite know what she's doing it, but she goes ahead and does it anyway. She makes herself a victim to her own animal instincts, but it was clear why she felt like she had no other way out. That's not the reality of the situation, it's her perception of it. With some intervention, all of the teens in this book could likely have benefited a great deal, but I think that might be part of the point of this book too. Teenagers seem like such mysterious creatures to people who aren't teens--despite that they've been teens themselves--and so a lot of what they do is chalked up to the wild impulses of youth. This book is a clear example of how adults can really miss the forest for the trees when it comes to watching for the warning signs teenagers exemplify.
My critique of the novel is that the writing does lack some polish, but this is something I expect will come to Zhang with time and experience. As an adult reader, it was obvious to me that many of the teens were making their problems bigger and, therefore, more unconquerable than they really were, but I also understood why they felt as they did. None of what's in this book surprises me, since I have experience in working closely with teenagers, and much of what an adult can overhear would curl said adult's hair. I was often mystified by how clueless some parents could be when it came to their own children.
And that, I think, is the real service of this book. Teens reading it may identify with the characters' pain and use this book as a means of working through their own issues. Hopefully they'll understand that the path Liz takes is an irreversible one and it'll inspire them to seek out some help. For adults, the value of the novel lies in its honest portrayal of what modern teen life is like. This isn't to say that every teenager is like this. Many are very level headed and mature and are able to put their problems into perspective. As I said earlier, though, due to the way their brains work, not all of them are able to do this, and they need a guiding hand from parents, teachers, and other influential adults in their lives, no matter how much they might balk at the idea. Instead of writing teens off as unknowable and irrational creatures, I hope adults will read a book like this and gain greater empathy for and understanding of what it means to be a teenager. After all, I think most of us would agree that if we had to go back and pick a stage of life to relive, the last one we'd choose would be the teenage years because they are so tumultuous. I look forward to watching Zhang's talents mature.