A wholly absorbing, character-driven dystopian tale.
In Moore’s YA novel, a late 21st-century teen raised in a cloistered, tech-laden city suddenly finds himself in the outside world.
Oliver McNeil can’t remember how he wound up far outside the 5th City. The 17-year-old does nearly everything in virtual simulations at home, but now, entangled in actual barbed wire, his situation is terrifyingly real. Luckily, a girl named Autumn Montgomery rescues Oliver and leads him to her family, which is part of a community living within a system of caves. These outsiders need none of the technology that Oliver is accustomed to, as they farm their own food and even print a local newspaper on an old-school press. The Montgomerys teach Oliver about all of these new/old ways of doing things, and he quickly warms to them. The trouble is, he can’t trust himself—Oliver is going through withdrawal from meds for an apparent mental condition, making him unpredictable and, Oliver believes, dangerous (“These people had no idea the level of evil that lived within me”). When some community sentries are found murdered, he realizes that his new friends are facing a genuine menace. Moore delivers enthralling set pieces, from Oliver’s initial disorientation to his first encounter with a real-life snowfall. The entire cast is outstanding, including the smart, capable, and protective Autumn, her unfailingly sympathetic dad, and her playful little brother, who calls Oliver “City Man.” While Oliver has some trouble adjusting to a foreign environment, he proves to be a natural at certain things; he has a way with animals, an unexpected and winning character trait. The blossoming romance between Autumn and Oliver is apparent early on, but that’s just one of several engaging subplots (in other threads, another new arrival joins the community, and there’s someone who looks inexplicably familiar to Oliver). The illuminating final act feels a bit rushed, but it does culminate in a truly gratifying denouement.
A wholly absorbing, character-driven dystopian tale.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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