{"id":897,"date":"2007-09-20T00:01:50","date_gmt":"2007-09-20T06:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=897"},"modified":"2007-09-20T07:01:39","modified_gmt":"2007-09-20T13:01:39","slug":"seven-impossible-tri-reviews-before-breakfast-2-featuring-jen-robinson-and-memoirs-of-ateenage-amnesiac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=897","title":{"rendered":"Seven Impossible Tri-Reviews Before Breakfast #2: Featuring Jen Robinson and Memoirs of a
Teenage Amnesiac<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"US

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac<\/em><\/a><\/strong>
by Gabrielle Zevin<\/a><\/strong>
Farrar, Straus and Giroux<\/a><\/strong>
September 2007
(advance reading copies)
Note: The U.S. cover is pictured here;
the U.K. one, below<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

We\u2019re here to discuss Gabrielle Zevin\u2019s second YA novel, her first one being 2005\u2019s Elsewhere<\/a><\/em><\/strong> (Farrar, Straus and Giroux<\/a><\/strong>), a 2006 ALA Notable Book<\/a><\/strong> and a Quill Book Award nominee<\/a><\/strong>, in which the afterlife is portrayed as a place where its inhabitants age in reverse until they reach infancy and are then sent back to Earth and reborn. She has also written one book for adults, Margarettown<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, and several screenplays. <\/p>\n

In this novel, we meet seventeen-year-old Naomi, who takes a tumble down her high school steps one day after losing a coin toss with her best friend and co-editor of the yearbook, Will, over who should go back into the building to get the yearbook\u2019s camera. She wakes to find that the past four years of her memory have been wiped clean and that she\u2019s being assisted in the ambulance by a rather handsome fellow student about whom she knows nothing. Thus begins her journey of self-discovery as she tries to put back the puzzle pieces of her life, trying to remember Ace, her boyfriend; the complicated relationship she had with Will; why her parents are divorced; and why it takes her father a good while to tell her he\u2019s now engaged. There\u2019s also the issue of her mother\u2019s new family, including a half-sister Naomi doesn\u2019t remember at all. <\/p>\n

We’re happy to host Jen Robinson<\/a><\/strong> for this, our second tri-review, the first one being fairly recently with Betsy Bird of A Fuse #8 Production<\/strong><\/em><\/a> and linked here<\/a><\/strong>, if you missed it. It was a pleasure to chat with Jen about this book. She’s a very astute reader, that one. Not to mention she graciously put up with our busy schedules while this was composed (we started this review one month ago!). <\/p>\n

Watch Out: Some spoilers in the review below . . .<\/em> <\/p>\n

* * * * * * *<\/center><\/p>\n

Jules<\/strong>: Jen, we\u2019re excited to have you tri-reviewing with us! What did you think of the novel? I, for one, really enjoyed it, though I admit it took some convincing for me to swallow the premise. I was scared of the whole amnesia set-up \u2013 in a this-is-a-bad-soap-opera-narrative kind of way. But kudos to Zevin for making it work. It quickly became entirely believable for me, and I was really wrapped up in what I thought were such honest and perceptive characterizations. And, of course, Zevin is using memory loss as a way to explore issues of \u2013 the very nature of \u2013 identity; I guess making it a temporary and partial amnesia worked better for me. A full-fledged one might have been harder to swallow. And, though I\u2019m getting ahead of myself here, I found the ending to be pitch-perfect and perfectly charming. Yes, I used the over-rated \u201ccharming\u201d in a review, but it really fits here. <\/p>\n

Did you like it? And how did it compare to Elsewhere<\/em> for you? I have yet to read that one, though the premise sounds fabulous to me. <\/p>\n

Jen<\/strong>: First of all, thanks so much for including me in this tri-review. I\u2019ve never done any kind of co-reviewing, and I\u2019m intrigued by the possibilities. Reviewing is ordinarily such a solitary activity.<\/p>\n

To answer your question, yes, I did enjoy Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac<\/em>. I thought that the premise was fascinating \u2013 I wanted to read it as soon as I heard about it (I guess I have a weakness for soap-opera storylines). I read the book in a single sitting. Like you, one thing that really stood out for me was Zevin\u2019s characterization. Zevin goes much deeper than just discussing how people look. She uses how they look and act to explore their deeper foibles and insecurities. For example:<\/p>\n

Will removed his black rectangular-framed glasses and wiped them on his pants. I would later learn that removing his glasses was something Will did when embarrassed, as if not seeing something clearly could in some way distance him from an awkward situation. (Chapter 1)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s as if each character, even the minor characters, is put under a microscope, with almost painful intensity. I will admit to enjoying the ending somewhat reluctantly, because I\u2019m a bit burned out on stories about best friends of the opposite gender, and whether they end up together or not. But I thought that Zevin handled it well, and managed to keep the end from being predictable throughout the story. It takes a skilled writer to take well-trodden premises, and make them fresh (both the amnesia storyline and the best friend storyline). <\/p>\n

I think that Zevin\u2019s writing is top-notch, with the right mix of plotting and introspection, as well as flashes of humor. To compare Zevin\u2019s two books, I think that the premise in Elsewhere<\/em> is more original, but that the characterization is deeper in Amnesiac<\/em>. I personally still prefer Elsewhere<\/em>, but I think that the writing is probably better in Amnesiac<\/em>. <\/p>\n

How about you, Eisha? Did you enjoy the book? Did you think that Zevin kept the premises fresh and interesting? Did you like the ending?<\/font> <\/p>\n

<\/a>eisha<\/strong>: I did enjoy the book. I read a few pages of Elsewhere<\/em> when it first came out, but never got around to actually reading it, so this is my first encounter with Zevin\u2019s writing. And I thought it was very strong \u2013 you\u2019re right, she\u2019s great with characterizations, she keeps a good balance between drama and humor, and she doesn\u2019t overdo it with the best-friends-but-could-they-be-more? tension. I really liked Will \u2013 he was such a Duckie<\/a><\/strong>, wasn\u2019t he?<\/p>\n

I also really liked the premise, particularly because of how Zevin was able to use it to delve into the theme of identity (as you mentioned, Jules) and how it\u2019s defined by past experiences and other people\u2019s perceptions. When Naomi loses the last four years of her memory, she loses those touchstones we all take for granted. The expected \u2013 maybe clich\u00e9d – reaction would be for her to attempt to recreate her previous life with whatever clues she can gather, and get back to \u201cnormal\u201d as soon as possible. But instead, Naomi gets frustrated with everyone\u2019s expectations of her, and takes off in the other direction. Her inability to remember how she got to this point in her life becomes an opportunity for her to reevaluate herself, her relationships and her interests without the usual baggage that everyone accumulates over time. I thought it was a fresh approach to the amnesia storyline, and one that worked very well.<\/p>\n

And yes, I liked the ending. I liked that it wasn\u2019t some big dramatic scene \u2013 I thought it felt natural, and perfectly in keeping with the relationship between Naomi and Will. How about you, Jules? You already mentioned you liked it \u2013 what about the story, and the ending, made it so \u201cpitch-perfect\u201d for you? And was there anything you think could have been better?<\/font><\/p>\n

\"UKJules<\/strong>: Word to the natural, Eisha. I liked that, at the book\u2019s close, Naomi\u2019s epiphany about Will wasn\u2019t forced \u2013 and neither was the notion that they will, without any question, necessarily live happily ever after. She left us a nice, big, lovely question mark, yet left us feeling reassured that Naomi finally recognizes true devotion when she sees it \u2013 and understands that the person who really loves you is \u201cthe person who wants to know all your stories.\u201d (And did we perhaps get foreshadowing of this in the beginning with his letter to her, in which the \u201cU\u201d key on his old typewriter came down every time he pressed the \u201ci\u201d?) . . . And let\u2019s not forget what she learned beyond Will \u2013 that perhaps life is \u201c{o}ne orphaning after the next . . . have a suitcase heart, be ready to travel.\u201d I liked that. <\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to add that I loved the bit of humor traced throughout the book, especially that Naomi didn\u2019t take her predicament too seriously. Well, of course, it was very serious stuff, but she knew how to find humor in her situation as well \u2013 and so did Will. And I am a big \u2018ol sucker for discussions of the Art of a Good Mixed Tape (CD, in this case \u2013 yes, obviously I went to high school in the \u201880s) and mixtape culture, if you will (according to Wikipedia, it\u2019s \u201cmixtape\u201d<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 who knew), such as in Nick Hornby\u2019s<\/a><\/strong> High Fidelity<\/strong><\/a><\/em>. I loved Will\u2019s brief manifesto on the issue, how he was speaking so fast and passionately about it (probably since I think a well-thought-out mixed CD for someone is just about the best gift ever). I just looked it up on page 9 of our copies:<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to make a good mix. You don\u2019t want anything too clich\u00e9, but you don\u2019t want to make the songs too obscure either. Plus, you can only fit about nineteen tracks on a CD, and you want each one to say something different, and you want a balance of slow and fast songs, and then there\u2019s the added pressure of making sure each track organically leads to the next. Plus, you\u2019ve got to know the person for whom the mix is intended really well. For example, on yours each of the songs means something. Like the first one is sort of how we met freshman year. I thought it might jog your memory.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Puddin\u2019 head. Love him. And he wore a powder blue tuxedo to the prom? Love him even more. <\/p>\n

Oh, and two more things — when Naomi imagines her and Ace\u2019s conversation as a version of Waiting for Godot<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, as Ace goes on about the stoned guy on the trampoline (with the line directions \u201cAnd repeat. Endlessly, endlessly repeat\u201d at the end) was funny stuff. And I laughed out loud at Will\u2019s statement about James: \u201cNot all of us have the luxury of being so exquisitely depressed.\u201d <\/p>\n

And, on that note and to address another of the book\u2019s big strengths, I like how Zevin avoided painting anyone too one-dimensionally. Sure, Ace was a big \u201cjock,\u201d but he wasn\u2019t entirely insensitive. And James wasn\u2019t 100% emo (though he was mostly so). And Naomi\u2019s mother wasn\u2019t entirely evil. And how Naomi had to re-learn all that, figure that all out for herself (eventually coming to see that \u201c{i}f you don\u2019t know something for yourself, you just can\u2019t be sure\u201d) \u2013 as well as re-evaulate everything in her life (\u201cif my memory never came back, maybe it was as easy as asking myself what I liked and what I didn\u2019t like\u201d) without contamination, if you will, from her previous life — made for a captivating read. <\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know that I\u2019d have any suggestions for improvement, Eisha. I thought it was a well-crafted novel. What about you, Jen? And do you agree that the occasional light-hearted tone was a nice counterbalance to the intensity of Naomi\u2019s situation, or did you find it distracting, by chance? <\/p>\n

Jen<\/strong>: Will was definitely a Duckie, Eisha. And I agree with your point about the premise giving Naomi an opportunity to re-evaluate herself, without baggage. It\u2019s a weird thought that you could wake up one day, four years after your latest memory, and not approve of the person that you\u2019ve become. A uniquely adolescent theme, I think, because teens can change so much in a short period of time (and, of course, because teens are all about figuring out who they really are). [This theme is also explored in Trigger<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, by Susan Vaught<\/a><\/strong> (which I reviewed here<\/a><\/strong>). In the case of Trigger<\/em>, the amnesia is a result of a self-inflicted bullet to the head, and the things that the protagonist has to re-learn about himself are quite a bit more negative than Naomi\u2019s experiences.]<\/p>\n

Jules, I agree with you about the character of Ace not being too one-dimensional. Though, if we\u2019re looking for weaknesses, I\u2019m not sure it was ever entirely clear why Naomi would have been with him in the first place. But that\u2019s a minor point \u2013 it\u2019s certainly a better story if Naomi has a boyfriend who she can\u2019t even remember, and Ace couldn\u2019t be perfect for her, since the reader is meant to be pulling for Will. (Fascinating notion about the foreshadowing in the typewriter letters). I have no other thoughts toward improvement.<\/p>\n

And I loved the counter-balance of the light-hearted passages. I\u2019m always more in favor of a book that can make me laugh sometimes. A great book can make you laugh and cry on the same page. Here\u2019s a small passage that I flagged: \u201cI was in the hospital for three more nights. A rotating coven of evil nurses would wake me up every three hours or so by shining a flashlight in my eyes.\u201d (page 24).\u201d I love these throw-away bits of humor. <\/p>\n

A couple of other positives: <\/p>\n