Dead to You by Lisa McMann
Pages: 288
Favourite Quotes: "Maybe you don't have to remember something for it to be true. For it to exist."
Ethan was abducted from his front garden when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family. It's a miracle. At first. Then the tensions start to build, and his family starts falling apart all over again. If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he'd be able to put the pieces back together. But there's something that's keeping his memory blocked. Something unspeakable.
Despite my enthusiasm to read this book, and my refusal to give it up, I'm still torn on whether or not I actually like it. There were only three things that I truly liked about this novel: the scene between Ethan and his mother, the relationship between Ethan and Grace and the complexity of Blake's personality. So, I shall begin there. Ethan's mother's steadfast belief in him and the scene they shared (if you read the book, you know which one I mean), really warmed me. I thought it was an excellent display of both their characters and it was a really promising aspect of the story line, which is why I was upset that the author didn't pursue it (but we'll get to that later). The relationship between Grace and Ethan was easily my favourite, especially their lunch box messages. That was perhaps the best part of the book because it felt real and really stood out as such. Blake's personality was, from Ethan's point of view, very foul and not at all likable, but I felt myself drawn to him. I think it's mainly because I tried to grip the characters in a point of view that wasn't Ethan's, since his narration didn't really appeal to me at all. He had his moments of course, but, well, nope. Out of all the characters, I think Lisa McMann did the best with Blake because he is the only reasonable and realistic character out of the lot. He makes the most sense and was the only one that actually showed any kind of character development. Of course, I disliked him at first, because I couldn't quite grasp his reluctance to be happy at his brother's return, but I warmed up to him quickly once I understood his point of view. I can't tell you what that is though, since it's a spoiler, but I think it's the only bit of the plot that actually mattered. Which is why I am going to go into the 'meh' part about my feelings over this book now.
I don't exactly dislike Ethan, but I thought his character was ridiculous. He has been missing for nine years and comes back only to ogle the girl next door? I'm sorry, but that just doesn't work out for me. He might be a boy, but I found this so out of place and downright offensive, let alone stereotypical. I'm not a boy, but I can assure you that sex isn't the main topic in their minds, especially when faced with a family you have lost for nine years. I think the most profound moment he had is when he stated that he "Feels like I'm in a play and I don't know all my lines." It was ruined though, with his constant lust for Cami and flashbacks to his sex life. He had potential, but he didn't arise to it. In fact, I think his character development regressed. A lot. And isn't that the whole point? To see a character change when faced in a certain event? He just became shallower, in my opinion, and more indifferent to what was happening until he was actually threatened by the events. SPOILER ALERT: He just runs away from his problems.
No. Just no.
I'm not even going to get started on Cami. Again, failed to arise to potential. Really, the only two characters that stood out to me were Grace and Blake. And when a six year old and her lunch box as well as an attention seeking 13 year old show more complexity and importance than the main character, who was missing for nine years and is - in theory- attempting to regain his footing in his family - then you know that the book just hasn't worked out the way it should have. And the ending? I think the author was aiming for a dramatic cliff hanger but ended up just stopping the book half way through. I suppose what bothers me most about this book is the lack of potential in everything. The writing itself, I found, suited the book well (Lisa McMann effectively used very simple writing to get the story across, so her writing wasn't the problem), but the lack of exploration and the half-hearted plot ruined it.
In conclusion, I think the book was okay, though it has quite a lot of faults and didn't arise to my expectations of it. It's a quick read and it does have its moments, so I wouldn't say that it's a terrible read. It's okay, but it could have been so much better.
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