<i>Double</i> (review)
2012; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 65; Issue: 7 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2012.0170
ISSN1558-6766
Autores Tópico(s)Paranormal Experiences and Beliefs
ResumoReviewed by: Double Deborah Stevenson Valentine, Jenny . Double. Hyperion, 2012. [256p]. ISBN 978-1-4231-4714-5 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys R* Gr. 7-10. After landing in a hostel for down and out kids in London, our protagonist is recognized as Cassiel Roadnight, a boy who went missing two years ago at the age of fourteen. Cassiel's mother is thrilled through her haze of sedatives; Cassiel's sister, Edie, tempers her delight with anger but is also ecstatic; Cassiel's older brother greets him with warmth and a willingness to overlook the past. The first problem is that our protagonist is not actually Cassiel, just a dead ringer with an absence of home and identity due to the strangeness of his upbringing by his long-gone caretaker. The second problem is that he's walked into more danger than he's escaped, because Cassiel's home hides a treacherous secret bigger than his own. Valentine has superb control over her story, feeding reader suspicion in various directions as the tale unfolds and ensuring there's still plenty of taut mystery even when it's clear the protagonist couldn't be Cassiel. The book gains additional emotional traction from the fact that the narrator is actually a better guy than Cassiel was and that his deception is benefiting Cassiel's broken family as well as saving himself. The suspense and sympathy play off of each other and the human dynamics are authentic, so the stakes remain high enough throughout to support the dramatic backstory revelations. Fans of psychodramas and family mysteries will rejoice in finding a book that's as effective in the unwinding as in the original twist. Copyright © 2012 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
Referência(s)