What's Left Of Me by Kat Zhang
Published: September 18th, 2012 Publisher: Harper Teen
Source: Received ARC from Publisher Format: E-Book Pages: 356 Cover Art
I think this cover really suits the book, and is simple yet eye-catching. I'm not really a fan of photos on covers but the obscured face on this one is quite cool. However, the problem I have with it now I have read the book is that the main character isn't supposed to be really beautiful, but I guess that's just YA for you; plain, pale, freckly girls have no place on book covers!
Plot Synopsis
Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else—two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren’t they settling? Why isn’t one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn’t…
For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable–hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet…for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything. My Rating:
First Line:
'Addie and I were born into the same body, our souls' ghostly fingers entwined before we gasped out very first breath.'
This book is PURE MISERY. It is unbelievably depressing, which is why I had to give it 2.5 stars. It isn't badly written, I just found it too much of a downer.Pocket-Size Review
Highs: The writing is fine, and the main characters are fine. Nothing spectacular though.
Lows: The whole book is a low. As Flo Rider would say: low, low, low, low, low, low.
Review
When Googling this book to find a picture, the first results kept coming up with Nick Lachey. He either had a single or album called 'What's Left Of Me'. If I was an author I would be put off calling my book the same as something Nick Lachey deemed good. Just sayin.
Anyway, title jesting aside, this book was not for me. It wasn't that it was a bad book, I just really didn't enjoy it. It was so horribly, horribly depressing that I was actually wondering if there was any good left on this Earth. It wasn't depressing in a good way, like because the author killed off all my favorite characters and I couldn't continue reading through my uncontrollable weeping. It was depressing because nothing good ever happened and the characters were just consumed in a huge ball of fear. You never really got to know any of them because they were so sad and afraid for the entire novel. I made a list of all the words that came to mind while I was reading this book:
- claustrophobic
- paralyzed
- sanitized
- pounding - empty
As you can see...my mind went to some dark, dark places. I don't think I have ever felt physically trapped and claustrophobic whilst reading before, but I did whilst reading this book. The whole premise of the book is horrendous when you think about it. Every person is born with two souls. One soul becomes dominant and takes over the body until the other fades away. In 'What's Left Of Me', the recessive, fading- away soul is the narrator. The one who is trapped and paralyzed within a body she has no control over. HORRENDOUS! I don't know about you, but the idea of being paralyzed and unable to move away from pain or control your own limbs is absolutely horrifying. The claustrophobia of Eva's existence and how trapped and paralyzed she feels is portrayed well, which is a testament to the writing, but, for me, it was such a depressing concept that I couldn't enjoy the book. Maybe I would have if things got better and more positive, but they don't. The feeling of being trapped is only accentuated with the girls situation and the facility they end up in. There is a horrible scene where they are forced into an MRI scanner and they are screaming and having a panic attack and nobody is helping them. It really disturbed me!
The characters are fine. I mean, they are so completely freaking out and afraid for the whole book that you never really get to know them. They are either crying, screaming, sobbing, or 'setting' their mouth 'into a thin line'. What I did like was that there wasn't a focus on looks, and, in my head, Addie/Eva was a plain girl. I liked that as it made her seem more normal. There is a flash of romance but it isn't a central focus, which I did appreciate as this is not a book that would do well with a romance. I don't believe in romance in dire circumstances. That is, when characters meet when they are in mortal danger and become entangled...romantically. If you are in that kind of situation you cling to the nearest person for protection and comfort and companionship rather than love or even any sort of real attraction. It is just instincts kicking in. That is why I find it difficult to find those romances cute or real.The relationship between Addie and Eva in their shared mind is fascinating. It is moving to hear Addie's guilt at being the dominant and controlling twin, and to hear Eva comforting and reassuring her despite longing for her own life and her share of control. They do have a very sweet relationship, and they did have distinctive personalities which is quite an achievement on the author's part. I imagine the struggles in Addie/Eva's mind is something akin to Abby and Brittany Hensel's on a daily basis.
Overall, the writing in this novel is good and puts across well the claustrophobia and despair of being trapped in a body you can't control. But do you really want to read a whole book of that? I didn't. Other Thoughts This Book has Inspired me to Read: Happy, Skippy, Jumpy books.
Memorable Quote:
'How many of them would submit to the knife, two souls whispering good-byes as anesthesia robbed the strength from their limbs.'
Three Words to Describe this Book: Claustrophobic, Suffocating, Depressing. But Don't Take My Word For It:
- Blog Reviews of 'What's Left Of Me':
