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kblincoln 's review for:
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
by Michelle Hodkin
Mara Dyer wakes up in the hospital one morning, not remembering why or how she got there.
A tragedy has happened, one where Mara survived but her two friends and boyfriend did not. They are dead. She is alive, but plagued by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that has her emotionally raw and seeing creepy hallucinations of her dead friends.
Meanwhile, her family has moved, her lawyer dad has a big case, and her overprotective brother is shepherding her around a new, preppy private school where she literally falls on her face the first day.
Needless to say, the only friend she makes is a another outsider, a biracial (just like Mara herself, which was, truthfully, a huge reason I liked this book. The biracial things wasn't just a throw away, the way it worked out in how Mara views herself, her brothers, and her own family history has meaning) boy also suspected of not having all his marbles.
The first thing her new friend, Jamie, warns her about, is the school ladykiller, Noah Shaw.
Strangely enough, Noah Shaw notices Mara right away, and instantly turns on the charm. Mara appreciates his beauty, but is too smart and preoccupied with trying to keep things together and appear normal enough that her mother won't institutionalize her.
Here's another thing I like about Mara, she's snarky and brash enough to say uncomfortable things out loud to the people harassing her.
Noah is only encouraged by her rebuffs.
As Mara's hallucinations get stronger, her harrassers get even bolder, Noah and Mara are going to need each other to figure out Mara's past, and how her own family is involved in the murder of a local teen.
Talk about unreliable narrators, Mara is the most intriguing,the most frustrating narrator I've met since Micah in Justine Larbalestier's "Liar." You're reading along, fine, and all of a sudden Mara pulls the rug out from under you with what she perceives as reality. I found myself going back to reread passages because I couldn't tell what was hallucination and what was reality...and not because the writing wasn't solid, but because the reader gets to follow along with Mara's disintegrating reality in a compelling way.
While some common tropes were telegraphed very strongly (including chapter endings that said things like "I was wrong" or "I didn't see him until Friday" or what have you) the main issue: what is happening to Mara, is so finely handled I didn't mind.
And Noah. I'm of two minds about him. On one level, the slow reveal of his character as not-quite-the-playboy everyone thought him to be, and full of complicated layers of his own, was enjoyable. On the other hand, near the end, his sudden opposal of Mara's determination to protect her family (in a way I can't say without spoilerage) felt contrived. Watching Mara slowly let herself trust him, despite conflicting truths, was really compelling. Their decision not to go further than what amounts to hand holding also felt contrived, and not true to her or his character.
Mara's brothers and mother more than make up for this problem. Her East Indian, perfect psychologist mother is believably overprotective and overbearing, without making it impossible for Mara and Noah to get into scrapes. Her brother Daniel is her best friend and a perfect reality check foil. YA paranormals often deal with the impossibility of a young teen doing outrageous things by getting rid of parents, this book keeps them around and is richer for it.
I stayed up late to finish this one.
This Books Food Designation Rating: A fusion pizza with chicken curry on naan crust where the complex spiced creaminess in each bite, while reassuringly familiar, compells you to keep eating until the very end.
A tragedy has happened, one where Mara survived but her two friends and boyfriend did not. They are dead. She is alive, but plagued by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that has her emotionally raw and seeing creepy hallucinations of her dead friends.
Meanwhile, her family has moved, her lawyer dad has a big case, and her overprotective brother is shepherding her around a new, preppy private school where she literally falls on her face the first day.
Needless to say, the only friend she makes is a another outsider, a biracial (just like Mara herself, which was, truthfully, a huge reason I liked this book. The biracial things wasn't just a throw away, the way it worked out in how Mara views herself, her brothers, and her own family history has meaning) boy also suspected of not having all his marbles.
The first thing her new friend, Jamie, warns her about, is the school ladykiller, Noah Shaw.
Strangely enough, Noah Shaw notices Mara right away, and instantly turns on the charm. Mara appreciates his beauty, but is too smart and preoccupied with trying to keep things together and appear normal enough that her mother won't institutionalize her.
Here's another thing I like about Mara, she's snarky and brash enough to say uncomfortable things out loud to the people harassing her.
Noah is only encouraged by her rebuffs.
As Mara's hallucinations get stronger, her harrassers get even bolder, Noah and Mara are going to need each other to figure out Mara's past, and how her own family is involved in the murder of a local teen.
Talk about unreliable narrators, Mara is the most intriguing,the most frustrating narrator I've met since Micah in Justine Larbalestier's "Liar." You're reading along, fine, and all of a sudden Mara pulls the rug out from under you with what she perceives as reality. I found myself going back to reread passages because I couldn't tell what was hallucination and what was reality...and not because the writing wasn't solid, but because the reader gets to follow along with Mara's disintegrating reality in a compelling way.
While some common tropes were telegraphed very strongly (including chapter endings that said things like "I was wrong" or "I didn't see him until Friday" or what have you) the main issue: what is happening to Mara, is so finely handled I didn't mind.
And Noah. I'm of two minds about him. On one level, the slow reveal of his character as not-quite-the-playboy everyone thought him to be, and full of complicated layers of his own, was enjoyable. On the other hand, near the end, his sudden opposal of Mara's determination to protect her family (in a way I can't say without spoilerage) felt contrived. Watching Mara slowly let herself trust him, despite conflicting truths, was really compelling. Their decision not to go further than what amounts to hand holding also felt contrived, and not true to her or his character.
Mara's brothers and mother more than make up for this problem. Her East Indian, perfect psychologist mother is believably overprotective and overbearing, without making it impossible for Mara and Noah to get into scrapes. Her brother Daniel is her best friend and a perfect reality check foil. YA paranormals often deal with the impossibility of a young teen doing outrageous things by getting rid of parents, this book keeps them around and is richer for it.
I stayed up late to finish this one.
This Books Food Designation Rating: A fusion pizza with chicken curry on naan crust where the complex spiced creaminess in each bite, while reassuringly familiar, compells you to keep eating until the very end.