MR: 14-122 yrs.
Stephenie Meyer. A name that brings squeals of joy to a small subset of the population and groans to the rest of us. Before you judge, any of you, know that this book isn't at all a Twilight novel. Not only is it geared towards young adults rather than hyper pre-teens, but it demonstrates a complexity of plot and character development not seen in this author's other works. Yes, character development. The protagonist is more than a mindless drone, and the love interest has more depth than a Ken doll. But before this turns into a rant against the Twilight Saga, let me introduce the premise.
The story begins as Wanderer, a "soul", or parasite, wakes up in the body of a young woman, formerly known as Melanie. In this Earth of the future, all free humans have more or less disappeared. The planet is populated by gentle, peace-loving parasites living in human hosts. Their goal is to restore the planet to it's natural state and end all wars and conflict. It seems they have succeeded. When Wanderer wakes up inside of Melanie, though, she knows something isn't right. In all other documented cases, the host submits immediately to the rule of its new master. This isn't the case with Melanie.
Melanie is aware, awake, and makes her presence known. This interesting conundrum, two completely different beings sharing one body, is the backdrop of a story that aptly addresses the questions that plague us in our daily life. What does it mean to be human? How far can kindness extend before it becomes weakness? And just where does love come from? As these two well-developed characters struggle to come to terms with their respective existences, Stephenie Meyer spins a tale that will keep you entertained, interested, and most importantly, leaves you with something to think on.
The only downside to this book is its length, which is overly generous. In my humble opinion, the story would have been more effective had it been a hundred pages shorter. The extra detail was nice, but a good editor could have pared it down without any sacrifice to story or character. Slow readers may find this book too long to be enjoyable. If, like myself, you don't so much read as devour, it shouldn't be a problem.
So, fellow readers, please suspend your disbelief that Stephenie Meyer could write something worthy of this kind of praise, and buy the book. It is available in hardcover, paperback, kindle, and audio editions at Amazon or your local independent bookseller. Please, treat Amazon as a last resort and keep those mom and pop stores alive! Click here to find an independent bookstore near you!
Good, someone I know likes this book. People tend to look at me incredulously when I mention to them that it's a book I quite enjoy.
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