Literally

April 24, 2017
Á la the film Adaptation, Keating (Dreamology) inserts a fictional version of herself into her entertaining second novel. Seventeen-year-old Annabelle’s life is on track: her family lives comfortably in Venice Beach, and she’s heading to Columbia University. When she learns that her parents are separating and selling their house, her sense of security is disrupted, but this discomfort is nothing compared to what she learns from a visiting author at her school—Lucy Keating. The writer informs Annabelle that she is merely a character in the book she’s working on, and that Annabelle’s life is being shaken up in order for her character to grow. Keating also introduces Will, a boy who is perfect for Annabelle—at least on paper—but Annabelle is increasingly drawn to her brother’s charmingly imperfect friend Elliot. Keating sustains the clever conceit throughout, creating a tug-of-war between Annabelle and her creator that highlights both Annabelle’s frustrations and the author’s insecurities. Avid readers will enjoy the playful suggestion that although characters are inventions of their authors, they also take on lives of their own. An Alloy Entertainment property. Ages 13–up. Agent: Peter Knapp, Park Literary & Media.

March 1, 2017
Annabelle is in total control of her life. She knows who she is and where she's going....Until author Lucy Keating speaks to Annabelle's creative writing class and describes her new book, which doesn't just resemble Annabelle's life--it is Annabelle's life, and the 17-year-old white girl is the main character. When Keating writes olive-skinned Hawaiian love interest Will into the story to shake things up with a love triangle, Annabelle finds herself pulled toward a boy she doesn't want. Although he's perfect--literally made for her--she's in love with her longtime friend Elliot, a white boy with a history of serial girlfriends. Keating thwarts Annabelle's every attempt to change her story. There's only one thing to do: confront Keating and demand to be allowed to write her own story. Freed from Lucy's pen, Annabelle discovers writing her own life isn't easy, but it's worth it. Initially, the self-referentiality feels like a forced attempt at metafictive cleverness; however, as the story progresses, characters criticize tropes such as the love triangle, the one-dimensional best friend, and that lightning-sparked first meeting between young lovers. Keating's storyline in the novel feels like wish fulfillment, and perhaps it is: her fictional counterpart has dozens of bestselling novels to her name, many of which have been adapted to film. This festival of metafictive fun should particularly appeal to budding novelists. (Fiction. 13-18)

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March 1, 2017

Gr 7 Up-Annabelle has the perfect life. She lives in an original Craftsman house in the affluently bohemian Los Angeles neighborhood of Venice; she hangs out with the popular crowd at school; she's valedictorian and editor in chief of the school newspaper; and she's getting ready for her life after high school. What Annabelle does not find perfect: unordered books (she frequently rearranges her bookshelf, sometimes by genre, sometimes by color) and the fiction class she must take to complete graduation requirements. But just as Annabelle tries to iron out these wrinkles, as she always does, she discovers something that makes her question everything about her life and how much control she really has. YA author Lucy Keating visits the heroine's class, and the teen learns that she is the main character of Keating's new novel! Can Annabelle trust any of her feelings when her life is being written for her? This is an intriguing and original blend of contemporary YA tropes and metafiction. Literary theory buffs will be tickled and fascinated by the way the author plays with the conventions of YA lit, from background characters complaining about their own one-dimensionality to the protagonists trying to fight the force of a love triangle. Despite the existential nature of the premise, the narrative is lighthearted in tone and the characters engaging, with sparkling dialogue. VERDICT A quirky literary experiment that fans of YA will thoroughly enjoy. A good choice for most libraries serving teens and YA fans.-Evelyn Khoo Schwartz, Georgetown Day School, Washington, DC

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