Unforgivable

February 15, 2016
Marcus, anguished at his separation from Evie, shares his back story, including a dysfunctional family, deceased older brother, and a destructive "tornado" inside him that's "spinning out of control." Sequel to cliffhanger Invincible (2015), the novel begins when Marcus saves cancer-survivor teen Evie from drowning, but he's prevented by doctors and family from seeing her as she recovers from various addictions. His isolation gives Marcus ample time to reflect on his life. Told in alternating sections made up of "there" flashback scenes, "here" present-day entries, and "you," lovelorn, anguished inner monologues directed at Evie, the book ends with two hopeful final sections ("now" and "us"). Retracing his family's tragic implosion, Marcus examines what drove his brilliant brother to suicide, illuminating why he's adopted various bad habits, including smoking pot and self-harm through cutting. The overwrought language of the "you" sections ("Supposedly, swans mate for life. When they kiss, their necks form the shape of a heart....Does a swan really sing when it dies? Is its pain really that beautiful?") often interrupts genuinely compelling explorations of Marcus' story and the accompanying insights into the mindset of those who harm themselves, seeking relief ("I choose blood instead of tears"). Fans of Invincible seeking fuller answers to the Marcus-Evie puzzle may forgive the soapy sections and enjoy its more measured, insightful writing and happy ending. (Fiction. 14-18)

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April 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-Readers familiar with Reed's Invincible will remember that Evie, once the cheerleader with a jock boyfriend, later a girl dying of cancer-turned-medical miracle who beats death, survives with no taste for her former life. Instead, she returns as a "bad girl" and ends that novel drugged, drunk, and in mortal danger. While reading Evie's story is not a requirement, foreknowledge will promote a greater understanding of the second novel's focus, the boy Evie's family assumes lured her into a life of substance abuse and self-destruction. Marcus, whose mother ran off and whose perfect older brother checked out of life, finds solace and love in Evie, and he saves her from the freezing cold waters of the San Francisco Bay by rushing her to the hospital. This is the "Now" of Marcus's life-Evie's mother won't let him see her, her sister also blames him, and he learns that his girl of only six weeks is in rehab and not seeking him out. In short sections named "You," Marcus emotes to the beautiful girl who appears to crave the very death she escaped in beating the big C. In past-focused sections called "Then," Marcus's white mother becomes unhinged and alcoholic following the betrayal of his high-powered African American judge father, and childhood memories make his brother's loss haunting. In the present, though, his dad is trying to start over with a new woman and to be more available for his son. Marcus will need to heal in the wake of his excruciating past and Hurricane Evie, perhaps to kindle a healthier love. VERDICT Only compelling for those who like their pathos chin-deep.-Suzanne Gordon, Lanier High School, Sugar Hill, GA

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