Author: Steven Arntson
Page Count: 240
Published: January 8th, 2013
Genre: fantasy (contemporary)
Audience: young adult
Source: library
Rating: 2 I would give this book an awkward hug before its Departure
Goodreads Summary:
In this modern-day suburban town, one percent of all fatalities come about in the most peculiar way. Deaths—eight-foot-tall, silver-gray creatures—send a letter (“Dear So-and-So, your days are numbered”) to whomever is chosen for a departure, telling them to wrap up their lives and do the things they always wanted to do before they have to “depart.” When sixteen-year-old Gabriela receives her notice, she is, of course devastated. Will she kiss her crush Sylvester before it’s too late?
Friendship, first love, and fantasy artfully mesh in this magically realistic world that ultimately celebrates life.
My thoughts:
I was really excited to read this story because, HELLO,
Deaths send 1% of the population letters telling them to wrap up their lives
before they depart? Sounds totally cool, right? In theory, I love this book. In
reality, I was disappointed. At 230-odd pages, this book felt like it was
missing A LOT. There is no real back-story about how the Deaths came to be;
yes, they’re supposed to be mysterious, but that feels more like a cop-out than
a reasonable answer, having read the book. I didn’t particularly like any of
the characters; the characters lacked depth and even Iris’ “secret,” which I
liked in theory, seemed added in as a plot point rather than a real facet of
her character.
The cast of the novel is diverse, which was a nice change
from typical YA. We have a biracial protagonist, Gabriela, who is Mexican/Caucasian;
Raahi, who is Indian-American; Sarena, who is African-American; and Iris, who
is white. That’s really the only “pro” I have for the characters in this book. It
seems like we don’t really get to know Gabriela (or any character), partially I
think because the book practically begins with Gabriela receiving her letter
notifying her of her upcoming Departure.
I finished this book because it was relatively short, otherwise,
I probably would not have finished it because I made no connections with the
characters or the overall plot. I feel like the premise falls very short. The kisses
on Gabriela’s wrap-up list, which seem to be a big part of the book’s premise,
turn out not to be all that important at all, especially considering the
strange almost absurdist way in which they come to fruition. I can’t stress
enough that this book fell far below meeting my (albeit, perhaps too high)
expectations. This book might be for you though, particularly if you like
contemporary with sci-fi/fantasy elements.
No one seems to like this book. Too bad because it had so much potential. Like the diversity.
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