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Sagara, Michelle. Silence. New York: DAW Books, 2012.
Michelle Sagara West is one of my favorite authors, and has been since the seventh grade; I've read almost everything she's ever written, and when I saw that she was doing a YA trilogy, I was quite happy. Although Silence could not be inaccurately described as a YA paranormal (with hints of romance), anyone who's read anything of West's should know that she doesn't really write stories that can comfortably fit in an elevator pitch.
Silence is the story of Emma, a teenage girl in Toronto whose father died years ago and whose boyfriend died just last summer, and who discovers that she can see, and speak with, the dead. It is also the story of her friends, including Michael, who is on the autism spectrum; it is also the story of the hunters who are sent to kill her and who instead find themselves joining in her crusade. It is a story about grief and love and friendship, and I enjoyed it very much.
There are some of West's familiar themes in here, but given that this book is set in the contemporary world, there's also quite a lot that's different, or differently portrayed, than her other writing, and I enjoyed Emma and her typical West protagonist "won't take no for an answer" attitude. I also enjoyed that her friend group could be straight out of Mean Girls, but isn't; West, when she did the Big Idea on Scalzi, talked some about this aspect of the book being inspired by her own autistic son's experiences with people at his school. It was refreshing to see Michael being treated as a full person not only by the narrative but also by the people around him, to say the least.
In sum, this was a very different take on what could have been some very well-worn YA tropes, and I'm very much looking forward to the next two books.
Michelle Sagara West is one of my favorite authors, and has been since the seventh grade; I've read almost everything she's ever written, and when I saw that she was doing a YA trilogy, I was quite happy. Although Silence could not be inaccurately described as a YA paranormal (with hints of romance), anyone who's read anything of West's should know that she doesn't really write stories that can comfortably fit in an elevator pitch.
Silence is the story of Emma, a teenage girl in Toronto whose father died years ago and whose boyfriend died just last summer, and who discovers that she can see, and speak with, the dead. It is also the story of her friends, including Michael, who is on the autism spectrum; it is also the story of the hunters who are sent to kill her and who instead find themselves joining in her crusade. It is a story about grief and love and friendship, and I enjoyed it very much.
There are some of West's familiar themes in here, but given that this book is set in the contemporary world, there's also quite a lot that's different, or differently portrayed, than her other writing, and I enjoyed Emma and her typical West protagonist "won't take no for an answer" attitude. I also enjoyed that her friend group could be straight out of Mean Girls
In sum, this was a very different take on what could have been some very well-worn YA tropes, and I'm very much looking forward to the next two books.