Title: 17 & Gone [on Amazon | on Goodreads]Series: None
Author: Nova Ren Suma [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Contemporary with a Twist
Year: 2013
Age: 14+
Stars: 4/5
Pros: Atmospheric writing. Makes an impassioned plea for all the lost, or "simply" troubled, teen girls that the world leaves behind.
Cons: Blends two different narratives that kind of clash with each other.
WARNING! Self-inflicted harm, mental health issues.
Will appeal to: Those who love poetical novels who deal with some harsh truths, but offer a glimpse of hope.
Blurb: Seventeen-year-old Lauren is having visions of girls who have gone missing. And all these girls have just one thing in common - they are 17 and gone without a trace. As Lauren struggles to shake these visions, impossible questions demand urgent answers: Why are the girls speaking to Lauren? How can she help them? And...is she next? Through Lauren’s search for clues, things begin to unravel, and when a brush with death lands her in the hospital, a shocking truth changes everything. (Amazon excerpt)
Review: I'm in love with Suma's novels. She's become an auto-buy author for me, and I only have a handful of those. Also, I'll do my best to avoid spoilers, but this will be a hard review to write, for that very reason...
Suma's novels are a love letter to girls: good or bad, hurting or causing other people to hurt, found or - most of the times - lost. She firmly believes that every one of them matters, and none deserves adults to give up on her. It should go without saying, except it's not as simple as it sounds, because sometimes they do their utmost to disappear, or they literally bite the hand that feeds (or at least caresses) them. Never was it the case more than in this particular book, where girls of all ethnicities and all ways of life get lost - some willingly, some not, but those who did run away all had their reasons, and a history of adults not being able to understand they pain or their sense of displacement. Or of authority figures shrugging - because, well, girls are bound to run away sometimes - and not even looking into the possibility that there's been some foul play involved. Suma looks at them, every one of them, through the eyes of one of their peers - a 17 y.o. girl named Lauren, who apparently can see them and visit a place in her dreams where they all live (so to speak) and wait for her to do something, because it's not too late for them...or for one of them at least. Bit by bit, we find out that Lauren is much more than a witness (or is she?), and there may be more girls to save than we thought. [...]
Suma's books have another thing in common, besides looking at girls with a more sympathetic and insightful eye than the average: they have one foot firmly placed in magical realism. This one, though, is ambiguous at best. There's much more than meets the eye at first, and the more we get to know Lauren, the more our perspective shifts. It's not like the lost girls (I mean, the ones who are physically lost) aren't the book's focus anymore, because they still are. But the story takes a (slow) turn toward the mundane - as opposed to the paranormal - and homes in on a different kind of lost girl: Lauren. Simultaneously, her connection with the girls changes as well, and the ending places 17 & Gone into the realism department...except maybe - just maybe - there could still be a paranormal angle to it. Now, Suma handles the supposed ambiguity (or change of gears) masterfully, but I'm not completely sure that walking the fine line between real issues and magical realism was the right choice. This is my only qualm about a novel that does well what it does, whatever it is, handling all its themes and characters with thoughtfulness and care.
For more Contemporary/Contemporary with a Twist books click here.
BLAME IT ON THE GIRLS
Suma's novels are a love letter to girls: good or bad, hurting or causing other people to hurt, found or - most of the times - lost. She firmly believes that every one of them matters, and none deserves adults to give up on her. It should go without saying, except it's not as simple as it sounds, because sometimes they do their utmost to disappear, or they literally bite the hand that feeds (or at least caresses) them. Never was it the case more than in this particular book, where girls of all ethnicities and all ways of life get lost - some willingly, some not, but those who did run away all had their reasons, and a history of adults not being able to understand they pain or their sense of displacement. Or of authority figures shrugging - because, well, girls are bound to run away sometimes - and not even looking into the possibility that there's been some foul play involved. Suma looks at them, every one of them, through the eyes of one of their peers - a 17 y.o. girl named Lauren, who apparently can see them and visit a place in her dreams where they all live (so to speak) and wait for her to do something, because it's not too late for them...or for one of them at least. Bit by bit, we find out that Lauren is much more than a witness (or is she?), and there may be more girls to save than we thought. [...]
DOUBLE TAKE
Suma's books have another thing in common, besides looking at girls with a more sympathetic and insightful eye than the average: they have one foot firmly placed in magical realism. This one, though, is ambiguous at best. There's much more than meets the eye at first, and the more we get to know Lauren, the more our perspective shifts. It's not like the lost girls (I mean, the ones who are physically lost) aren't the book's focus anymore, because they still are. But the story takes a (slow) turn toward the mundane - as opposed to the paranormal - and homes in on a different kind of lost girl: Lauren. Simultaneously, her connection with the girls changes as well, and the ending places 17 & Gone into the realism department...except maybe - just maybe - there could still be a paranormal angle to it. Now, Suma handles the supposed ambiguity (or change of gears) masterfully, but I'm not completely sure that walking the fine line between real issues and magical realism was the right choice. This is my only qualm about a novel that does well what it does, whatever it is, handling all its themes and characters with thoughtfulness and care.
For more Contemporary/Contemporary with a Twist books click here.
I have heard a lot of people rave about Nova Ren Suma's books! But, I have never given one a try. This one does seem right up my alley!
ReplyDeleteI definitely have a love for contemporary books with twinges of magical realism. I think it's because I have always wanted to write magical realism, and reading books with this type of narrative just makes me appreciate it even more! That being said, I do get that these two types of narratives may not always be in sync with each other.
Still, I'll definitely keep this book on my radar!
My favourite Suma book is The Walls Around Us, and that's the one I always recommend to everybody! But really, if you love magical realism, you can't go wrong with her. The problem I mentioned about the two different types of narrative is only to be be found in this particular book of hers so far (for reasons I can't explain because I would spoil everything). The others incorporate magical realism in a more straightforward manner.
DeleteI haven't read this but it sounds good.
ReplyDeleteI encourage everyone to read at least one Suma book in their life!
DeleteI had a hard time with Imaginary Girls, so I haven't wanted to read anything else by the author. It's so hard to look past a bad experience! They sound like books I would enjoy, but then I hesitate when I remember my first time... ;) I'm happy you enjoyed this one so much! <3
ReplyDeleteLindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬
Maybe you don't click with magical realism as a whole?
DeleteNo, I've enjoyed magical realism in the past. It was something about the vagueness of the sisters in the story (at least with the oldest sister) that I had trouble relating to or understanding. She felt like an enigma the entire book, which made it hard for me to rationalize the younger sister's behavior.
DeleteI understand where you're coming from. And more often than not, it's crucial to forge a bond of sorts with the characters in order to really like a book!
DeleteI think it requires great skill to successfully pull off magical realism. There are few authors I have found do it well (AS King, Anna Marie McLemore), and it sounds like Suma belongs on this list too
ReplyDeleteShe does wholeheartily! And I agree, it's not an easy feat.
DeleteI looked up McLemore - she apparently writes stories where the romance is a prominent angle, and you know me and romance 😂.
This sounds like an intriguing novel! I keep meaning to read more of Suma's books. :)
ReplyDeleteYou need at least to try one! I think everyone does LOL. Seriously, I can't recommend The Walls Around Us enough.
DeleteSounds fascinating, and that's an interesting point about magical realism and contemporaries. sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't- it can be a fine line. I can see you think highly of this author though so I will definitely add the to my list to try!
ReplyDeleteShe does magical realism in a superb way, but this book is different from the other ones she's written...argh, I can't explain why without spoiling the whole thing...let's say that the MR part might turn out as something different in the end...
DeleteMagical realism and me... it's always a hit or miss but that means I am more likely to take a chance in case it would end up being a hit for me! I am glad you were able to enjoy this one so much from an author you truly love. I also really love that it includes the importance of all the missing girls and how it includes diversity in there too.
ReplyDeleteI've liked all my MR books so far (except one that had lots of writing issues), so I deem myself lucky! Then again, I research all the books I intend to read, while you take a chance on so many more than I do 😉.
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