Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Review: The Adoration of Jenna Fox

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E Pearson
Science Fiction
Four stars


Jenna Fox wakes up from a year-long coma with hardly any memory of her life before. Her brain has basically re-booted itself after a traumatic accident, and she has to learn how to speak and walk again with the help of her overprotective parents and reclusive grandmother. But as she re-explores the world around her, Jenna discovers events and memories that don't add up with what she's been told, and she begins to search for answers about the truth surrounding her past and how she survived.

So I haven't read this in a while, but I remember really liking Pearson's writing style. It's simple and bright and innocent, and it just fits so well with the character. Jenna's naiveté and observations are so insightful and refreshing - I love her struggle to relearn social conventions. And that's the thing, Pearson crafts such an interesting world, but it never takes away from character. It's all about Jenna's voice and experience, and then there are these poems spread throughout the story that beautifully reflect her thoughts (similar to the style in The Sky Is Everywhere). The novel is just a lovely portrayal of human life and ethics and the relationships within it and what it means to be an individual. And I'm in love with the title.

“There is something about her eyes. Eyes don't breathe. I know that much. But hers look breathless.”

Finish the series: The Fox Inheritance and Fox Forever by Mary E Pearson (I haven't read these, but I've heard they're more like companion novels than sequels)

Also recommended: The Cold Awakening trilogy by Robin Wasserman