The Love That Split the World
By Emily Henry
Age Range: 12 - 17 years
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Razorbill (January 26, 2016)
ISBN-10: 1595148507
ISBN-13: 978-1595148506
Publisher’s Blurb:
Natalie’s last summer in her small Kentucky hometown is off to a
magical start…until she starts seeing the “wrong things.” They’re just
momentary glimpses at first—her front door is red instead of its usual green,
there’s a pre-school where the garden store should be. But then her whole town
disappears for hours, fading away into rolling hills and grazing buffalo, and
Nat knows something isn’t right.
That’s when she gets a visit from the kind but mysterious apparition she calls “Grandmother,” who tells her: “You have three months to save him.” The next night, under the stadium lights of the high school football field, she meets a beautiful boy named Beau, and it’s as if time just stops and nothing exists. Nothing, except Natalie and Beau.
From School Library
Journal
Gr 9 Up-Natalie is a teenager on the
cusp of growing up in this romantic/sci-fi story of love in a small town. Her
adoptive parents believe that preparing to leave for college may be to blame
for the recurrence of "visitations" they thought therapy had put an
end to. However, when Natalie meets Beau, an attractive boy she's never seen
before, she must rush to uncover the truth behind the visitations and her new
ability to slide between two realities in order to save him. While the romance
and sci-fi aspects will feel reminiscent of many other teen novels, an original
plot and likable characters will win over readers. The author weaves in
elements of Native American folktales that give the novel impressive depth for
a debut effort. Complicated family relationships and complex coming-of-age
emotions will offer young adults much to relate to.
My Thoughts:
First, I just want to say that the publisher’s blurb bugs me. The
events do not happen in that order. Sheesh.
Now for my real thoughts: I am so conflicted about this book. There are
things I love and things that I really dislike.
Love: Strong characters, beautiful prose, complex ideas on philosophy, religion, the nature of time. (Also, the description of INFJs is so me. I live in that universe and I can really identify with Natalie in many ways.) When Alice finally goes off on Natalie near the end about her martyr complex, it is justified and epically awesome. I read two-thirds of this book in a day, because, while I had some hunches as to how things worked, I needed to know what would happen. Normally, I don't like books written in present-tense, but, because of the nature of the story, this time it works.
Dislike: Another teenage romance where there’s no real justification for the intense love between the characters, and yet one of them makes an incredible sacrifice. Why? Just because there’s physical chemistry? Natalie, while very relatable, is also suffering from some serious martyr issues (see above). That kind of takes away from her big moment at the climax.
Near the end, as “Grandmother” is explaining to Natalie all that has been going on, it’s a big infodump, and it kind of left me behind. Like the great Kathryn Janeway, time travel gives me a headache. The falling action was abrupt and left me unsatisfied. I needed a little more tying up of loose ends.
Possible Objectionable Material:
Teenage making out, near sex, and sex (not onscreen). Teen partying and drinking—some to
excess. Sneaking out of the house at night. One character is lesbian, another
is revealed to be gay. Lots of mild cursing and one f-word near the end. And,
if you’re me, you find the concept of insta-love to be objectionable.
Who Might Like This Book:
I’d say the older end of the target audience; I’m not sure any of my
12-13-year-old friends are ready for it. It definitely reads as a romance. It’s
got some complex ideas, so people who like to think about the meaning of our
presence on earth.
Thank you, Net Galley, for the ARC.
No comments:
Post a Comment