Thursday, February 21, 2013

ARC Review: The DIfferent Girl

The Different Girl by Gordon Dahlquist
3.5/5 stars
Dutton Books, 2013
230 pages
YA Science-Fiction

Source: Received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I just finished reading this and I'm not really sure what to say. This is definitely a more quiet and contemplative novel than what I usually read. That can be a really good thing for a certain kind of reader but I'm not sure I'm that reader. I finished and I have so many questions, which I think is what Dahlquist wanted. But as a reader, I wanted concrete answers and am left unsatisfied.

The book takes place on an island with four nearly identical girls and their two adult caretakers (for lack of a better word). Those four girls look the same except for different hair color and slight personality differences (our narrator seems to be a bit more willful and one of the girls dreams while the others do not). Then one day, while exploring, our narrator Veronika stumbles across a shipwrecked different girl who inadvertently precedes some significant changes. I don't want to share too much because the pleasure of the novel relies on unraveling (some of) these mysteries as you read.

It's a quieter, more contemplative novel than most YA out there, which is good and bad. It is good because it helps distinguish this book in the very crowded category. But it was bad for my experience because I expect more action and more drama in my YA and I felt that this just didn't deliver.  It is also possible that this book leans too heavily in the science-fiction direction, a genre I don't tend to like. I love fairy tales and contemporaries; this is neither.

Another problem for me was the characters, all of whom were kept an arm's length away. When I read, I tend to want to identify with the main character, either because we're both sisters, we're both good students, we're both readers...something in their personality or the anxiety they're feeling. I didn't have that connection here and while I was able to finish the book (it's pretty short), I probably wouldn't have had it been longer.

Overall: A change of pace from my usual reads but not one I'd recommend to people with similar reading taste.

Other Opinions:
Alamosa Books
Good Books and Good Wine
Miss Literati
My Corner of the Universe
The Book Smugglers

14 comments:

  1. It doesn't sound like a book I would enjoy. I like characters I connect with, or a action filled story. And I'm one of those persons that need answers!

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    1. Yeah, it sounds like our tastes overlap and this would not be one you enjoy.

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  2. EXACTLY. Like you, I just felt this one didn't deliver regarding action and drama and consequently ended up a bit bored and felt like it totally went over my head.

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    1. I was thinking of your review while I read this and just nodding my head in agreement so many times: just not my kind of book.

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  3. Hmmm.... Kirkus liked it, and you and I often have similar taste. But if it's just sci-fi mystery with no action or drama, I'm not sure. I guess I'll put it on the "maybe" list.

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    1. I can definitely see Kirkus and others appreciating its literary qualities but I found it too boring.

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  4. I think I may like it. I like contemplative books from time to time. However, if you are expecting something else and get this, then I understand why you didn't quite like it. At least now I know what to expect.

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    1. If you give it a try, I hope it works for you-I'll keep an eye out for a review :)

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  5. A sci-fi book that is also contemplative sounds like an interesting combination. Like you, though, I'm not a huge sci-fi fan. Would you say this is pretty hard-core sci-fi or more like "sci-fi lite"?

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    1. Not sure what hard-core sci-fi would be...I'm inclined to say "sci-fi lite" just because there's a lot left unanswered. For me, hard-core sci-fi would have had a lot more explanations about the science.

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  6. I'm really curious about this one - I have heard a lot of mixed things about it thus far though.

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    1. It's definitely not for everyone. I hope if you try it, that you like it.

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  7. I have to say that I am a little curious about this one now. Great review.

    Jenea @ Books Live Forever

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    Replies
    1. I hope you like it if you pick it up-this book and I just didn't click.

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