The Museum of Us by Tara Wilson Redd

THE MUSEUM OF US by Tara Wilson Redd is one of those books which I am definitely looking forward to discussing with other readers. The writing in this debut young adult novel is magical. I loved the first half of this book where readers meet Sadie and experience her fantastic imagination:

“George didn’t sit with her in the library. Why would he, when there were pages and pages to explore? She followed him down into the depths of the catacombs of Paris, and to the top of the world’s highest mountains. She sat alone, though she was never truly alone. After all, she wasn’t really there.”

But about halfway through, the novel turns very dark with a surprising cutting incident and Sadie subsequently grapples with intense emotional pain as she eventually chooses between George in her fantasy world and her loyal support system including boyfriend Henry and best friend Lucie. Like All the Bright Places, THE MUSEUM OF US may be emotionally difficult to read in part, but it will prompt some important, reflective discussions. As Sadie muses, “you have to wonder, is it fate or could we have changed it? .... Life only goes one direction, and this moment, and the next moment, once they’re in the past you can’t change them....” “What happens to all those forgotten thoughts? If no one remembers something, did it even really happen?”  “What happens to a thought when you are not thinking it?”

Tara Wilson Redd’s THE MUSEUM OF US received a starred review from School Library Journal: “Readers will identify strongly with Sadie and her journey as she struggles to cope with trauma and let go of her secrets.” Here's a related story in the news recently: I’m Not OK app developed by teens using technology to help those struggling with depression and anxiety.

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig

“She clicks the top of her pen. Then clicks it again. Each one is a moment. The first click, the pause between the clicks, and the second click. The longer you live. The harder it becomes. To grab them. Each little moment as it arrives. To be living in something other than the past or the future. To be actually here."

 

HOW TO STOP TIME by Matt Haig is one of those mind bending books that I have been reading a bit at a time, partly to be able to reflect on Haig’s work and partly to savor the writing and make it last. In this novel, Tom Hazard is four hundred and thirty-nine years old, although he physically ages very slowly and in appearance seems to be in his early forties. His life story alternates back and forth from 16th century rural England where his mother is suspected of being a witch and the London of that time where he first fell in love, to present day London where he teaches school and is attracted to a fellow teacher, Camille.

Readers learn that Tom is looking for his child, Marion, who may age similarly. Plus, he has to deal with potentially being manipulated by an organization (The Albatross Society) which seeks to protect these unique people although its leader, Hendrich, seems threatening and controlling. Throughout, Tom suffers stress headaches and is unable to develop a meaningful, deep relationship with anyone for fear of endangering them. Haig is telling this story on multiple levels, and Tom’s perspective as an outsider from another time provides a vehicle for sharp commentary on current society. Here are a few of my favorite quotes (I have many):

• “You are always living within the parameters of your personality.  No expanse of time or place could change that.”
• “All we can ever be is faithful to our memories of reality, rather than the reality itself, which is something closely related, but never precisely the same thing.”
• “The progress of humanity seemed to be measured in the distance we placed between ourselves and nature.”
• “Places don’t matter to people any more. ... People are only half present where they are these days.  They always have at least one foot in the great digital nowhere.”
• “You understand quite completely that the main lesson of history is: humans don’t learn from history.”

HOW TO STOP TIME received starred reviews from Booklist (“Teens will love this irresistible, crossover work of speculative fiction”) and Publishers Weekly.

So what else have I been reading?  AS BRIGHT AS HEAVEN by award-winning author Susan Meissner.  This novel is also a time trip of sorts, taking place in 1918 Pennsylvania where members of the Bright family (Pauline and Thomas with daughters Evelyn, Maggie and Willa) deal with the loss of baby Henry by moving from Quakertown to Philadelphia, leaving behind extended family and their business of rolling cigars to live in a fine house with a bachelor uncle and learn the trade of being an undertaker. When the Spanish flu hits the city, they are forced to confront death on a large scale. 

This historical fiction novel is told from multiple perspectives and each of the Bright women shares her thoughts. With positive blurbs from novelists like Jillian Cantor and Helen Simonson, AS BRIGHT AS HEAVEN is apt to appeal to book clubs and received a starred review from Library Journal.  

Both titles appear on the February 2018 LibraryReads List.

More YA titles ....

As noted in an earlier post, it seems that the new group of YA novels are rather dark and sad. That is certainly the case with The Most Dangerous Place on Earth by Lindsey Lee Johnson.  In fact, I did not think that it was an accurate portrayal of high school life, even in a privileged setting (Mill Valley, near San Francisco) which parallels New Trier.  Rather, this book seemed to be an attempt to string together vignettes – suicide, alcohol and drug use, teacher/student affair, car accident involving the family BMW, cyberbullying, cheating on the SAT, a runaway acting in gay porn films - about a group of classmates who repeatedly make poor choices and rarely face consequences.  

I cared about this group and felt that each student had a distinct, if caricatured, voice.  Most seemed to be looking for guidance and understanding, craving a listener, but the adults – both parents and teachers – were crafted in a very negative, stereotypical way. I will not be recommending this title and am frankly puzzled at the positive reviews from Library Journal and Publishers Weekly.

Look instead for Holding up the Universe by Jennifer Niven (best-selling author of All the Bright Places).  Holding up the Universe also deals with some difficult issues of identity and self-acceptance faced by high school students. Junior Libby Strout became very obese while grieving her mother’s death and has only recently lost enough weight to return to school where she is bullied by others, including senior Jack Masselin who has prosopagnosia (face blindness). They ultimately form a bond, are not afraid to ignore peer pressure and challenge authority. Aspirational and inspirational with starred reviews from School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and Voya.