BODY OF ORIGIN

In Smith’s YA speculative novel, a teenage girl recognizes the strength of her socially proscribed superpowers.

When 16-year-old Cal Littleton embarks on a trip to the salon to touch up her pink roots, her life is changed forever. A “switcherborne,” Cal possesses a recessive gene that allows her to transport her consciousness into other people’s bodies. When a bus driver attends to his phone and neglects to see a woman and her baby crossing the street, Cal, hoping to avert tragedy, suddenly switches into the bus driver’s body, swerving to the left and causing an accident that renders her childhood best friend, cross-country running star Jamie Mulligan, paralyzed.  To assuage her guilt, Cal switches with Jamie, granting him the ability to run while controlling her body, knowing the possible consequences to herself and those around her: switcherborne are scorned in society and such activities are forbidden. As Cal spends more time in Jamie’s body, she develops empathy for him and learns the extent of her powers. Best of all, she discovers that she can heal others. This remarkable novel contrasts fantastic elements with strong realistic components in a narrative that will feel engaging, authentic, and genuine to YA readers. Exercising restraint when it comes to the fantasy elements, this work reads like a well rendered, realistic novel (“I’d known it was a bad sign when Mr. Mulligan built that ramp. You don’t build a ramp if the doctors think your kid is going to walk again in a couple of weeks”). Expertly constructing a world with a political climate not unlike today’s, Smith explores what happens to people when hatred prevails. In addition, the author crafts well-rounded and diverse characters, allowing many readers the opportunity to see themselves reflected somewhere in the cast. While there are sequences hampered by excessive details about switching, and perhaps too many healing scenarios, the novel also compellingly depicts realistic teenage characters navigating real-world problems.

A timely and engrossing contribution to YA literature.