Take a photo of a barcode or cover
gemiria 's review for:
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac
by Gabrielle Zevin
Quite good YA tale of the kind I never read as a teenager. I liked for the most part, although with some caveats, and I didn't love it. Mainly, I was disappointed by how the story backs away from the problem of Naomi's amnesia and instead focuses on her relationships with a few other (male) characters: her former best friend and a mysterious/troubled newcomer. Though the latter plot was well-done, it seemed like the book ended with a different story than the one it started with. The hints that are dropped toward the beginning of the book to suggest that Naomi is going to have to confront the person she was before her amnesia (and may not like what she finds) aren't really followed up. For instance, that food diary she finds right at the beginning: last I checked, consuming 600 calories per day is anorexic-level eating, especially for someone who's tall and plays sports, as Naomi is described. But after she throws the diary away in disgust, it vanishes from the plot. Likewise the hints that she was something of a mean-girl melt away, and she's able to reconcile her past and present pretty easily in the end.
Other, less picky, readers might argue that the turning of focus away from the amnesia and toward other stuff is a mature move, and that the narrative has to develop away from the loss. I can see that, but personally, I read a book about a girl who loses her memory, I want it to deal with what it means for her to have lost her memory. This story only does that halfway. Still an enjoyable read, though.
Other, less picky, readers might argue that the turning of focus away from the amnesia and toward other stuff is a mature move, and that the narrative has to develop away from the loss. I can see that, but personally, I read a book about a girl who loses her memory, I want it to deal with what it means for her to have lost her memory. This story only does that halfway. Still an enjoyable read, though.