Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac (review)
2007; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 61; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2007.0738
ISSN1558-6766
Autores Tópico(s)Academic and Historical Perspectives in Psychology
ResumoReviewed by: Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac Deborah Stevenson Zevin, Gabrielle Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac. Farrar, 2007271p ISBN 978-0-374-34946-2$17.00 Ad Gr. 9-12 A fall down the school's front steps results in a serious head injury for Naomi with a dramatic consequence: she loses her memory of the four years she's experienced since she turned twelve. Estranged from the girl she used to be, who was an enthusiastic yearbook co-editor and the girlfriend of an amiable but shallow tennis jock, Naomi finds herself drawn to moody and troubled James, who is also vexed by his past. The amnesia premise is appealing, and Zevin is a smooth and subtle stylist, creating particularly interesting characters here in Naomi's best friend and loyal co-editor, Will, and in Naomi's not-as-vapid-as-he-seems boyfriend. Ultimately, though, the amnesia falls by the wayside and the story starts to ramble, with Naomi's ostensibly hot romance with James more talky than emotionally compelling (especially in contrast to her complicated, affectionate relationship with Will), a weakness that makes Naomi's tendency to treat other people as functionaries to enable her and James' togetherness particularly unsympathetic. The memory-loss plot is therefore less effective than it is in Weatherly's Kat Got Your Tongue (BCCB 7/07), but readers may still be intrigued by the notion of viewing one's life freshly. Copyright © 2007 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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