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Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Book Recommendation: Circle Nine


Circle Nine, Anne Heltzel
Anne Heltzel
Pages: 272
Ages: 14+

Abby is what it says on the gold chain around her neck, so that must be who she is. She's not sure how she came to live in the house, in the gorgeous room with the purple canopied bed and the mahogany desk, and the plush chairs. She doesn't remember anything from before a couple of weeks ago. But she has Sam who loves her, who gives her everything she could want or need. Who cooks up feasts fit for a queen. She doesn't know how she got here, but most days, she doesn't mind. She's happy to stay in paradise forever. But then things start leaking into paradise. Girls who wrinkle their noses at her beautiful house. Who mock Sam's feasts. Who call their things rubbish. Who call their home a junkyard. As her illusion fades, and Sam's health deteriorates, she realizes she needs to figure out who she is outside the dreamworld.


This is one of those books that I literally couldn't put down. I did try. I woke up at 6am, started reading, thought, hmm maybe I'll check my email and do some work, but found myself right back on the couch reading again. I finished it in less than 3 hours. It's the kind of book where I really feel for the author, because it's one of those YA novels that's so thoughtful and though-provoking I worry it wont find an audience. It's painful to read the disjointed POV of a girl who can't remember her past, who may or may not be crazy, who is homeless, and who is in love with a junkie boyfriend. It's not a shiny happy tale as you watch her travel from delusion to reality. But it is really such a good book. Read it. 

Official website of Anne Heltzel.

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