Since this book came out, I wanted to read it. I put it off, and then one of my amazing students did her soundtrack YA project on this book, but warned me that before I read the soundtrack I'd have to read the book so the spoilers wouldn't wreck it for me. I read about 50 pages last night, and then picked it up at 3:30 today--I didn't put it down until I was done at 6:40. And I bawled the last 70 pages.
At first, this is really confusing and frustrating. I wanted to like it so much, but I couldn't wrap my head around the plot structure. Finally, after about 100 pages things began making sense--the separate but converging story lines, the multiple characters with unique double-names, and the Australian diction and setting were off-putting, but once I sorted things out (had to write names down to keep people straight initially), I couldn't disentangle myself from the book.
Yes, Taylor is a whiny teenager, but she is so much more complex than the ordinary teenage-girl-with-angst, and the story is SO RICH and well crafted!!!!
I haven't read anything like this book--maybe Weetzie Bat or The Body of Christopher Creed, but I feel so much more satisfied after finishing this book than I did with either of the others...
Just a really REALLY good read. Family, friendships, and mad-capped adventures of the warring factions of teenagers.
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