A well-written story of transformation that’s both emotional and thought-provoking.
A boy undergoes a disturbing, identity-challenging metamorphosis in this debut YA SF novella.
In Meridian Colony, a minor off-Earth research base, Kesh Ugomi has never quite fit in. He’s a “loser freak”: an orphan passed around from family to family, a poor student burdened by food allergies no one else has. His classmates despise him—so much so that, as the story begins, two boys capture Kesh, transport him by hovercraft, and abandon him in the rainforest, shouting: “You can walk home, you disgusting parasite!” He’s discovered by sansiks, the huge, iridescent-shelled, insectlike, intelligent life native to the planet, who bring him to their hive and agree to help Kesh return home. At Meridian, the sansiks ask for a favor (bargained down to one box of fertilizer and a cart) in exchange for Kesh, but his ordeal is only just beginning. His body begins to transform in a way that becomes all the more horrifying when he learns the truth behind it and that he’s destined to be scientifically studied on Earth. With help from his sole friend, Aster Tiu, Kesh devises an escape from this fate to a community where he belongs and has a role to play. In her novella, Rasmussen makes the not uncommon story of a lonely, bullied young adolescent especially compelling because Kesh’s metamorphosis uncomfortably engages with and challenges the disgust most humans feel for insect life. What happens to Kesh isn’t pretty—but there is something beautiful in the sansiks’ care for and acceptance of him, even though his true nature could make him a pariah in the hive. They have a sense of fair play and generosity notably lacking in the colonists. The author also makes the alien world vivid through skillfully crisp sensory descriptions.
A well-written story of transformation that’s both emotional and thought-provoking.Pub Date: June 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-952283-17-8
Page Count: 100
Publisher: Vernacular Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 29, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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