| Paranormal, Occult & Supernatural |
| Adolescence & Coming of Age |
| Social Themes |
| Depression & Mental Illness |
| Juvenile Fiction |
Summary
Summary
"Once upon a time there was a girl who was special. This is not her story. Unless you count the part where I killed her."
Sixteen-year-old Alison wakes up in a mental institution. As she pieces her memory back together, she realizes she's confessed to murdering Tori Beaugrand, the most perfect girl at school. But the case is a mystery. Tori's body has not been found, and Alison can't explain what happened. One minute she was fighting with Tori. The next moment Tori disintegrated--into nothing.
But that's impossible. No one is capable of making someone vanish. Right? Alison must be losing her mind--like her mother always feared she would.
For years Alison has tried to keep her weird sensory abilities a secret. No one ever understood--until a mysterious visiting scientist takes an interest in Alison's case. Suddenly, Alison discovers that the world is wrong about her--and that she's capable of far more than anyone else would believe.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up-R. J. Anderson takes listeners on a psychological thrill ride (Carolrhoda, 2011) that twists into a sci-fi experiment gone wrong. Sixteen-year-old Alison wakes up in a mental institution and is convinced of two things: she killed her classmate, Tori, and no one will ever believe that she saw Tori disintegrate before her eyes as they were arguing. Alison can see color in music, emotion in numbers, and taste lies like syrup on her tongue. She is sure that her strong sensory perceptions burst and she is guilty of murdering her classmate. Faraday, a young scientist, convinces Alison that she is not guilty of murder, and they work together to prove her innocence. Anderson cleverly breaks all the rules of genre writing and segues from psychological thriller to science fiction in the blink of an eye. The suspension of disbelief necessary for sci-fi readers is quickly thrust upon listeners, who will either adore or detest the genre switch. Narrator Justine Eyre interprets the story beautifully with spot-on pacing, giving each character a unique voice. Fans of Ray Bradbury's short stories will delight in this unusual tale.-Tricia Melgaard, formerly Broken Arrow Public Schools, Tulsa, OK (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In a change of pace from her Faery Hunters series, Anderson blends paranormal, science fiction, and scientific elements in an intriguing story about a teenager who is convinced that she's crazy-and a murderer-though reality is even more unpredictable. Sixteen-year-old Alison Jeffries awakens in the psych ward of a hospital, and is soon transferred to a treatment center for "youth in crisis." The police, meanwhile, believe Alison knows something about the disappearance of her classmate, Tori. She does. Alison had watched Tori disintegrate before her eyes, and she believes that her barely understood "powers" are to blame. With the help of Sebastian Faraday, a mysterious neuropsychologist, Alison starts to get answers: she is a synesthete-her senses of smell, taste, sight, and hearing intertwined in surprising ways-as well as a tetrachromat, able to perceive ultraviolet light. Alison's conditions allow the author to give her some enviable abilities and use some creative descriptions (Faraday's voice tastes, to Alison, like "[d]ark chocolate, poured over velvet). Anderson keeps readers guessing throughout with several twists, including a very unexpected divergence in the last third of the book. Ages 12-up. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Sixteen-year-old Alison wakes up in a mental institution after seeing a classmate literally disintegrate before her eyes. Is she a misunderstood synesthete, or are her mixed-up senses an indicator of more sinister abilities? Part psychological thriller and part paranormal mystery, Alison's compelling story will draw readers in as it challenges them to question their perceptions of reality. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Once upon a time "science fiction" was not invariably preceded by "dystopian," nor was it just a handy synonym for "paranormal." This breath of fresh air reintroduces readers to traditional science fiction, with the bonus of a strong heroine.Alison, 16, has been hospitalized ever since her beautiful, popular classmate, Tori, disappeared. Her claim that she disintegrated Tori landed her in the psychiatric ward and soon gets her transferred to a residential treatment facility for seriously disturbed teen patients. Confused, conflicted, fighting the deadening effects of medication, Alison is desperate to leave the hospital yet fearful of what she might do if freed. These worries are complicated by her long-held secret: She has synesthesia. This sensory cross-wiring causes Alison to experience numbers as colors; she hears stars and tastes lies. She's long obeyed her mother's warning to tell no one. Now a mysterious, attractive young doctor has nosed out her secret. Anderson, a Canadian author of fantasy, is an assured storyteller with a knack for creating memorable characters. The barren, northern Ontario settingwhere NASA astronauts once trained for moon landingsslyly accents a twisty plot refreshingly free of YA clich.In bracing contrast to her passive, vampire-fodder counterparts, Alison steers her own course throughout her multi-layered journeya thoroughly enjoyable ride. (author's note) (Science fiction. 12 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Alison wakes up in a mental institution with no memory of the past two weeks. The bits of time she pieces together point to a violent episode that caused the death of her classmate Tori. As she slowly remembers what happened, Alison worries that she really is crazy because she can only remember Tori disintegrating into nothing. An undiagnosed synesthete, Alison has always seen numbers as colors, tasted lies, and seen colors no one else can. While Alison is in the hospital, Dr. Faraday, a neuropsychologist studying synesthesia, finally puts a name to and an explanation of how Alison's brain is wired. This is a unique insight into the life of someone with synesthesia, and the look at life inside a mental hospital is a natural grabber for teens. The story makes a dramatic shift in the final third of the book when the true origins of Faraday and what really happened to Tori are revealed. It is a genre-shifting turn that will leave some disappointed but will surely invigorate others.--Yusko, Shauna Copyright 2010 Booklist
