A Prayer for Travelers

A Prayer for Travelers by Ruchika Tomar
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First off, I loved Tomar's writing style. She used such an economy of language that was still descriptive and atmospheric. The amount of information packed into each sentence, without being esoteric was inspiring. The setting, a small town in the desert, as well as the core friendship of Cale and Penny, was well-developed, new and yet familiar. The odd circumstances of the plot, both of their adventures and their back stories felt authentic and tragic without being unbelievable. The way Tomar chose to tell the story, was both irritating and genius. The book starts at chapter 33 and you wonder if somehow the book didn't load correctly, until you realize that the story was told sequentially, then the chapters cut up and put in a blender. Every chapter you have to reorient yourself,--where does this chapter actually take place? And yet, I think it ultimately adds to the propulsiveness of the novel. Told simply sequentially this story might not pack the same punch. Still, between her economical sentences and the mixed up time-line I wanted a more definitive ending--what exactly happened in the trailer park when Cale went back? What exactly happened to Penny at the end? Just a few more sentences to clarify would have made the novel worth the work, imo.

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Lamb was bent over his bureau in a cotton undershirt clutching a fistful of loose denim at the waistband of the jeans, the sum total between his past and present selves.

How much easier for an object to inhabit a second life.

All of life a repetition, the details slightly changed.

The Silence Between Us

The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I am delighted that there are more books about kids with problems more complex than who will take them to the prom. Maya is deaf and has a brother with cystic fibrosis. She's just moved so she has to navigate a new hearing school, find a job, and apply to colleges. Unearthing all the challenges, as well as prejudices, of a deaf ya attempting to make her way in a hearing world, complete with obtaining interpreters, and accepting her limitations as well as her true potential was truly heartening and eye-opening. I didn't really like Maya, though--she was defensive, caustic, and impatient (I suppose like a real teen would be with challenges). Also, despite wanting to like it, it was really was rather forgettable in the end. Still, so happy to see less traditional characters in YA fiction.

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Lungdon

Lungdon by Edward Carey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This review was bumped up to 4 stars for the whole series. As the wrap-up to the Iremonger trilogy, I felt it wrapped up satisfactorily. I admit some of the beginning was a bit troubling, as Clod manifests his anger and hostility, which seemed out of character--though I suppose it shows how power can change a person. Luckily, Lucy remains her irrepressible self and the queen even makes an appearance. Everything is explained and a happy ending for all involved (mostly). Original, fun series with deep themes about capitalism, class, and the things we are willing to do to have more stuff than someone else--do we ultimately let objects control us?

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We're what you might call walking lampposts, living breathing lampposts.

When do you stop being a person, I wondered, and be stamped as something else?

They've been objectified.