Oh, Foiled by Predictability!: E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars

I waited patiently to get my hands on a copy of E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars. It helped that I’ve been mired in a super-busy semester, but I was also super patient. The hype was tremendous: it’s amazing, life-changing and truly amazing nature was enough to whet my appetite and leave me anxiously awaiting the moment when finally–finally!–I’d have the opportunity to read it.

Fast forward to this week and, while it is an interesting, well-written book, I have to say it was a bit of a let-down. To be completely fair and honest: I didn’t read the whole book. I got bored. It was incredibly predictable and, while I do enjoy teen angst and thwarted romances sometimes, well, this one just really didn’t do anything for me.

It features an uber-wealthy, old money WASP-y family who own their own island (yes, the whole island!) near Martha’s Vineyard. The patriarch of the family built a series of houses on the island for himself, and then one for each of his three daughters. Every summer, the gang reunites along with their offspring on the island for an escape from reality (to further non-reality . . . ?).

The Liars are a group of 3 similarly-aged cousins, plus one: the lone non-white member of this party who’s both loved and absorbed by the other 3 members of the group until he becomes a constant, as much a part of the summer happenings of this family on their island as the waves, the wind or the fact that eventually, the summer will end.

We follow our protagonist through a few of her summers, and we come to understand her undying devotion to this boy, who’s her cousin’s best friend. We learn also about her parents’ divorce; the money dwindling; the challenges she faces at school and on the island. But most of all, we learn about the fact that one summer, she had an accident and can’t remember for the life of her what happened, but but her whole life’s been turned upside down as a result of it.

The premise is fascinating; who doesn’t want to peak behind the overly prim, proper and private curtain shielding the lifestyles of the super-rich? I know I for one was hooked on that premise alone. Beyond that, I was intrigued as to what the island was like; what kinds of things they did; what kinds of things does a family do on their family compound together for a summer? I think in my mind I had images of Martina Boone’s Compulsion, what with rich people from old money in giant mansion houses wandering an island, yet falling apart. This story lacks the plot-driven narrative of Compulsion, focusing instead on the discovery process as the protagonist tries to remember what happened that night she woke up naked and shivering on the beach. I also saw traces of Meg Wolitzer’s Belzhar there, with a group of teens trying to learn how to get over whatever it is that has brought them to the point of despair they’re currently at. But this is not that, either. When I learned that Gat was Indian, I thought perhaps there might be an element of racial understandings/differences that became a theme–perhaps not as strongly as in Sarah Smith’s The Other Side of Dark, but certainly at least a step above just letting it fester as the elephant on the island. But nothing doing.

The first few chapters were enticing, but I knew what had happened. I don’t know why, I just did. And I was so sufficiently certain of this knowledge that I went ahead and flipped to the end and, sure enough, I was right. Now, that’s not to say I didn’t likely skip a few twists and turns of the plot along the way, but it just really wasn’t speaking to me.

For my purposes, this was way too predictable and, honestly, a bit slow. Anyone else out there read this? Have any light to shed on what I missed?

No, Not Again! The Mystery of the Insanely Weak Protagonist and the Missing Plot

There seems to be a trend happening in YA Lit, and it’s somewhat a disappointing one: that of the oddly wishy-washy female protagonist. Now, I get that art imitates life and all that jazz, and that not all females are devoutly, stubbornly focused on their goals. OR that all even have goals. However, I feel like once again I’m reading about a female protagonist who has a) no real personality, b) no goals of her own, c) no gumption, d) is kind of annoying. Essentially, she’s just there: we know she likes coffee, and loved her grandmother, and dislikes her brother. We know she has a thing for old records and reading and hasn’t had much interest in boys until now. But beyond that? Yeah. Kind of a boring canvas, that.

This isn’t a new critique of mine. I feel like I’m becoming a bit of a broken record about it, in fact. Have authors given up on injecting some life into their young heroines? Or are we, the YA Lit market, unwilling to accept a little spunk? I know I had similar thoughts about Lauren Oliver’s Lena in Delirium, about Bethany Griffin’s Araby in Masque of the Red Death and Madeline in The Fall, even (though to a far lesser extent) about Martina Boone’s Barrie in Compulsion.

That’s not to say that April Tucholke’s Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea doesn’t tell an interesting yarn, or to suggest that it’s not a well-written tale, either. BUT. Should she have created a less ghost-like protagonist character/personality, I think it would have made for a far more interesting tale.

That critique aside, I think that the story itself weaves some interesting themes, but I finished feeling kind of disappointed. The latest wave of YA Lit that I’ve been picking up has a decidedly deathly undertone to it, and I, for one, like it! We have demons in Michelle Knudsen’s Evil Librarian, grim reapers gone wild in Gina Damico’s Croak series, curses galore in Martina Boone’s Heirs of Watson Island Trilogy, and now?

Well, despite the suggestive title, we have none of these. Because, though the title suggests a devil (or devilry, at the very least), I didn’t really see a whole lot of that. What I did see? A whole bunch of super self absorbed rich or once-rich kids wreaking havoc on “the peasants” (as a certain famous other self-absorbed rich kid said in the news recently, to describe the hoi polloi), lazing about and feeling particularly sorry for themselves, or else being generally pretty pointless.

The story is set in the sleepy oceanside town of Echo, where twins Luke and Violet White (of the once-upon-a-time-ago famously wealthy Whites) live in a decaying mansion by the sea because the family’s money has dried up, their parents apparently refuse to either be parents or to be adults and work to make money so they’ve disappeared to Europe, and Freddie–their grandmother and general caretaker–has died, leaving them to tend to themselves.

As their home is falling apart around them, Violet spends her days reading and going to town for coffee. She makes a point of explaining that they don’t have money for food anymore, so I’m not entirely certain where she gets the money for lattes, but I suppose that that’s beside the point. Her brother seems to spend the days lifting weights, trying to impress others around town and generally belittle his sister. One day Violet comes upon an idea to make money for food by renting their guesthouse, and rent it she does: to one River West, attractive young boy about her age who pays her for a month in cash from a thick wad of green bills. Violet apparently thinks nothing of this, and it doesn’t occur to her to ask for any ID or anything. She immediately is charmed and amazed over River, and they immediately become buddies.

As the story continues, we see one strange thing after another occurring in town. Dangerous things; death and insanity and dismay. When River’s brother comes to town, we learn more about this mysteriously distrustful character, but not before Violet’s world has been turned upside down. And certainly not before she’s randomly decided to spend most nights sleeping with this boy she doesn’t know really anything about–other than the fact that he’s mysterious and keeps lying to her. (sounds like a great romance, huh?)

Here’s What I Liked About the Book:
1. It is an interesting tale, because you really don’t know what’s going to happen along the way. Not because you couldn’t have predicted it, but because the clues you get along the way suggest the possibility of so much more that’s so different from what actually happens, that you’d have to be wrong in guessing.

2. Violet and Luke aren’t best friends, and I think that that’s an interesting relationship to depict in YA Lit. For some reason, almost every YA Lit book I’ve picked up involving twin siblings or else siblings close in age shows them as being the very bestest of friends. I know this isn’t always the case, especially in YA years. So while Luke is a jerk, it was nice to see something other than the constantly lovingly perfect sibling relationship we tend to otherwise see.

3. The setting is classic gothic, with large crumbling mansions by the sea, hidden letters, family secrets, decrepit graveyards. .. . it really makes quite the atmosphere, and is highly reminiscent of the setting in Martina Boone’s Compulsion.

What I Didn’t Much Like About the Novel:

1. As noted, Violet’s got the personality of a used dishcloth.

2. I had some major issues in suspending my disbelief that two young people would be able to be left by themselves for extended periods of time and no one was in the least worried or curious. Not because I don’t think parents can do that, but because I would think social services couldn’t. This felt pretty unrealistic to me, but then, it’s YA Lit, so I apparently need to work harder at my disbelief suspension.

3. Luke’s a flaming jerk through the first half of the book. He seems to always be lurking somewhere around, and always making ridiculously sexist comments. But he seems magically to kind of just disappear in the second half of the book and to have become a changed man or something, because he loses the sexism side of him pretty suddenly and quickly, with no warning whatsoever.

4. I have some major issues with the picture of Violet–innocent, uninterested in boys, no experience dating, very bookish, somewhat obsessed with her dead grandmother with a religious fervor–suddenly snuggling up in a stranger’s bed. Repeatedly. He moves in and like that night, she’s walking uninvited into his rented guesthouse and crawling in. But she doesn’t just do it once! Even once she knows he’s lying to her repeatedly she continues to be stuck under his thrall for reasons I don’t get. I understand that he’s supposed to have some kind of ability to nudge her thoughts, but come on. Plus, the fact that she keeps getting caught by other boys in bed with this veritable stranger and not thinking anything of it? Again, I’m not buying it.

5. On a side note complaint, apparently Luke and Violet couldn’t afford to buy food, but once they get River’s rent money, they’re shopping at the small town equivalent of Whole Foods? Really?

6. How is the town not more concerned about the string of strange events suddenly happening in it? We have a disappeared child, a “devil” spotting, a dead kid, a dead man. . . the list keeps going. Yet the town itself seems to see nothing strange or wrong with this?

7. I’m not sure I understand what the scary is here. River has a power he calls “the glow.” We later hear of a similar power referred to as “the spark.” Both of these seem to be psychic in nature. But this book just seems full of potential promises it doesn’t really deliver on.

8. The ending. Really? Mom and dad just miraculously show up out of nowhere and Luke’s now crying? They have no problem with taking in an extra mouth to feed when none of them seem willing to actually work and they don’t have money? Even with whatever mom and dad brought back from dad’s “sold out” art show in Paris, I can’t imagine that long term commitment being something they’re pleased with.

9. It seems like a very incestuous series of relationships that these wealthy Reddings and Whites have. I honestly didn’t care enough to follow too closely, but geez.

10. Sunshine, Violet’s only friend/neighbor, is depicted repeatedly as being a slut. Violet’s depicted as being a bookish prude who’s not interested in the male species at all. Apparently, there is no in-between. No normal YA reaction to guys. Either you’re “a strumpet” or you’re completely unaware of the male species. Again, really?

Overall:

Meh. I really, really wanted to like this book and, having now read it, I didn’t feel like I didn’t enjoy it. I just felt like I was doing an *awful* lot of suspending disbelief and eye rolling along the way. The writing is well done, but between the stupendously overdone use of tropes that are not related to the story, the lack of a real plot (you’ll note I don’t summarize one for you above–that’s because I’m still trying to find it) and some notably poorly drawn characters, well, this author could have written a better story, no doubt in my mind.

Anyone else out there read this one? Thoughts?

Southern Gothic Lovers Rejoice: Martina Boone’s Compulsion is an Exciting Beginning to a New YA Series, Despite Itself!

Honestly, I didn’t think I was actually going to like this book. I say that from a place of YA love in my heart, though not necessarily a place of southern drama/moody/gothic-y love. When I read the synopsis, particularly the hook lines about curses, wishes, etc, I still wasn’t particularly interested. AND in getting an eyeful of the cover, I was very much still not interested.

So I did what tends, somewhat counter-intuitively to happen in my household when I’m dead set on the idea that I’m going to dislike a book: I started reading it. Not because I secretly thought there was a redeeming aspect to it, but because I figured I’d give it a few pages to righteously confirm my suspicions and then I’d set it down and feel contented knowing that I gave it a chance.

Could I have been farther from the truth? There’s a small chance, but probably not. Within the first few pages, I was without a doubt hooked into this strange, oddly secretive and interwoven set of families. Yes, they are weird. Yes, they are set in their (somewhat stereotypically) southern ways. But more to the point: Ms. Boone weaves lives, people, times, experiences, secrets, hopes, wishes, dreams and insanity together in a way that at once allows you to see the intricate patterns as well as the overall picture.

I’m not going to lie: there are times when I cringed a bit at the characters. We follow Barrie, a 17-year-old orphan, whose mother’s recent death and her former guardian’s losing battle to cancer leave her essentially hoisted upon an aunt she’s never met from a family she’s never known on the opposite coast of a continent she has never explored to experience a life she never imagined that she could. There, she’s introduced to her Aunt Pru, her mother’s sister; Eight, the apparently requisite YA love interest; an extended family she never knew she had, and a town filled with busybodies who never knew Barrie even existed until she showed up. As Barrie attempts to settle into this new life and decide how much of it she actually wants to commit to, she learns about her family’s special “gift”–something she’s experienced her whole life, but always thought of as just a strange personal quirk–and discovers that there’s a whole lot more behind why her mother left Watson’s Landing than Barrie could ever have imagined.

For those of you interested in comparisons, I actually found Barrie to be very similar in personality to Luce in Lauren Kate’s Fallen series. The book has been compared to Beautiful Creatures, but I found it largely unrelated in virtually any manner other than, perhaps, being set in the south. Also, Eight–Barrie’s love interest–strikes me as an interesting cross between Garcia and Stohls’s Ethan and his best friend, Link, though a good deal smarter than both of them.

What I Liked About the Book:

1. The author had me at Mark, Barrie’s black, cross-dressing, transgender(?) guardian. His character is bright, interesting and, even though he’s struggling with his cancer, lends color and emotion to a book that might otherwise be lacking without him. At the same time, there are a few lines Ms. Boone gives him that lean towards trite, but generally speaking, he adds color to the story.

2. The setting is fascinating. Three plantations, three founding families, all hiding a wealth of secrets between them. These are every bit the crazy, hidden-passages-behind-walls, secret-stairs-behind-panels, forgotten-tunnels-in-basements kinds of plantations. The setting alone is ripe with mystery and the unknown, leaving us (the hapless readers) at the mercy of Ms. Boone’s whims to take the story in what ever kind of direction she chooses.

3. Bet you won’t guess where this story’s going! There’s way too many elements you won’t even realize are important until the tale starts to wind it’s way to the end. . .

4. Saying “that’s crazy” or “you’re crazy” isn’t an endgame here. It seems like in a lot of YA Lit, these phrases are enough to conclude any interest in a strange idea, theory or notion. Not so here, where we see a number of such potential moments, but no takers on that conclusion–including the adult characters, who seem to be rather easily put off in YA Lit by such proclamations.

5. There are secrets upon secrets upon secrets, and while I found these frustrating at times, they also lend themselves to making the story itself all the more interesting, with all the more mystery to it.

What I Didn’t Care For:

1. My, my, but we have some inconsistent characters! One minute they’re best friends, the next they hate each other. One minute they dislike each other, the next they’re making out and in love. I particularly found it baffling how quickly Barrie would get pissed at Eight, who really didn’t seem to be doing anything particularly rude or pretentious. Perhaps if Barrie had been built up as having been a highly independent, feminist type character, then some of Eight’s acts would have been more understandably irritating to her. As it stands, Barrie’s little outbursts just came off as being fussy, annoying and immature.

2. Along those same lines, our protagonist is, at the very best, minimally complex. There’s a lot going on with her, but this is one area wherein I felt that the author could have done a slightly better job weaving together her interests, hobbies, passions and personality a bit more clearly. The way it’s done here just feels a bit too passive: we get a brief mention of Barrie’s interest in art, but nothing really about it until Mark finds and mails her her mother’s sketch book. We hear about Barrie’s fitting in as an average person in school with zero experience with boys, then later we have hints dropped about how she looks just like her mom, a multi-beauty pageant winner. Barrie doesn’t seem to spend any time in the kitchen, but mentions she and Mark watched a lot of the cooking channel, then suddenly she’s proposing opening a restaurant? She claims herself to be a boring average girl, with no real-world, leaving-the-house experiences, yet she’s willing to start a dance party at a cook out with complete strangers? She’s never really had any extended family members per se, but now she’s going out of her way and ignoring every single warning she’s given about them in her haste to make them her buddies? Hm.

3. Why does no one seem to think that they should tell Barrie anything? Mark’s keeping secrets; Barrie’s mother kept tons of secrets; Pru keeps secrets; even Eight and Barrie’s cousin, Cassie, keep secrets. By the end of the tale, it’s sort of the one consistent theme: Barrie’s being faced with both real and paranormal danger, yet everyone’s still hanging back, apparently afraid she might . . . I don’t even know what, because she’s proven herself to be fairly resilient and trustworthy, but no one wants to tell her those things that might actually help save her life and allow her to better understand the events occurring around her.

4. There are also a number of strings left undone. For example, Barrie decides to have Mark ship all of her mother’s belongings to Watson’s Landing, yet after the decision is made–and after her heartache at having to confess this decision to Aunt Pru–we never hear another word of them, nor do they appear. There seemed to be many small examples of this throughout the book, and while I assume that these inconsistencies will be addressed in the next books in the series, I found the sheer number of them to be highly distracting.

5. So let me get this straight: you have ghosts running the halls, somewhat mischievous yunwi spirits following people around, and a spooky and wordless Fire Carrier roaming the property at night and Barrie’s just totally, no questions asked, no goosebumps in the night, ok with this? I could imagine Aunt Pru being ok with this, in light of the fact that she’s grown up with it all, but Barrie isn’t even given a warning. Or an explanation. (Back to that everyone keeps tons of secrets).

6. There is a feeling here of throwing in everything, including the kitchen sink. There’s a LOT going on, and while I think that Ms. Boone manages to just juggle it all, I thought she could easily have cut one or two elements and the story still been ok with it.

Overall:

This really is a fun read, and while it’s real easy for me to sit here with a warm coffee in my hand and slippers on my feet and play armchair warrior at it, this is one of those books you can easily lose yourself in. Although I did find myself occasionally annoyed at the characters and/or their inconsistencies, the plot was interesting and fast paced, weaving together just the right amount of action, mystery, romance and intrigue to keep those pages turning.

Anyone else out there taken a glance at this one? Any interest?