Wither

Starred review from January 10, 2011
Opening the Chemical Garden trilogy, DeStefano's harrowing debut initially comes across as The Handmaid's Tale for YA readers. DeStefano, however, forgoes larger social analysis to depict the personal impact of a dystopian future on Rhine and Gabriel, teenagers with a handful of years to live. Science gave 21st-century America one generation of perfect babies; since then, war has destroyed the other continents, and a virus that kills girls by 20 and boys by 25 has ravaged subsequent generations. Healthy teenage girls are prized as breeding stock, and Rhine is kidnapped and forced into a polygamous marriage with the wealthy Linden Ashby, in whose palatial Florida home Gabriel is a servant. Pampered but imprisoned, Rhine only wants to get back to her twin brother, Rowan, in gritty Manhattan. And as Gabriel's furtive relationship with Rhine grows, he begins to share her dream of escape. DeStefano has an observant and occasionally pitiless eye, chronicling the cruelties, mercies, and inconsistencies of her young characters. The larger world is less precisely realized; it will be intriguing to see how DeStefano develops it as this promising trilogy progresses. Ages 14–up.

November 1, 2011

Gr 9 Up-The first installment (S & S, 2011) of Lauren DeStefano's "The Chemical Garden Trilogy" will hook listeners and have them eagerly awaiting the next volume in what is sure to be a memorable series. However, this is by no means a perfect book. While the premise is arresting, dystopian fiction needs to grow from a believable foundation of science, history, and psychology. Multiple factors mar the believability of this world. While genetic engineering has attempted to make mankind immortal, a flaw has caused women to die at age 20 and men at 25. In an attempt to keep humanity from eradication, girls are kidnapped and sold into polygamous concubinage in order to breed children. The class system has become so stratified that the majority of the population are poor orphans, there is virtually no middle class, and the wealthy few rule. In this episode, listeners follow Rhine who has been kidnapped and sold to a rich man. What is wonderful about this book is the writing. The characters are lovingly created and the fantasies of the world that DeStefano has created shine through in the audio format. The combination of Angela Lin's narration and the lyrical prose make up for the structural flaws of the story. Sure to be popular.-Genevieve Gallagher. Charlottesville High School, VA

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