- Broken Things. Lauren Oliver. The town of Twin Lakes, Vermont, is famous for one thing. Five years ago, thirteen-year-old Summer Marks was killed by her best friends, Mia and Brynn. Everybody talks about The Monsters of Brickhouse Lane. All driven mad by their shared obsession with the cult fantasy novel "The way into Lovelorn". Except... that is not true. Mia and Brynn did not kill Summer. Not that it matters... even if they were never convicted, both their lives have been ruined --people spit at them on the streets and their families fell to pieces. But then Mia finds an old project the three girls had been working on before Summer's murder --a fanfic sequel to their favorite book. And in it, evidence that there was a fourth, anonymous contributor. Somebody who might actually be responsible for Summer's death --somebody who might kill again, to remain in the shadows...
I'd first read Oliver's debut novel, "Before I fall", after watching the movie adaptation. Loved the movie, and loved the book even more. Loved the convincing portrayal of teenage girls and their complex relationships with each other. Then I read "Panic" --a terrific premise (an extremely dangerous game held by the teenagers of a small town as a rite of passage after high school), but that was undone by an underwhelming ending. This book, I had decided, would make or break it for me. Am I still interested in Oliver's books, or was 'Before' basically the only good one?
The answer was: Make it. I loved this one, both as a YA book and as a thriller / mystery on its own, regardless of the target audience.
Once again, the characters make it --complex teenagers (and adults) with believable flaws and virtues, with often raw, awkward relationships to each other. A plot that, while standard mystery fodder, plays fair with the audience, with clues provided where needed, and a conclusion that ties up most loose ends while purposefully leaving a few dangling as teasers.
But what truly makes this book shine is the understanding of how Fiction itself can shape our personality, both when young and later in life. Oliver does a terrific job capturing the eager, often overly autobiographic writing style of young fanfic authors. And even more, she captures the unique fascination that early favorite stories can have on everyone. The way they can come to represent both our brightest hopes an our worst fears.
Overall, recommended.
