Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

by Gabrielle Zevin

ONE-LINE SUMMARY: Naomi, a high school student, suffers a head trauma and consequently cannot remember the last four years of her life.

This is a terrific book. I was a big fan of Zevin’s Elsewhere which has an unusual and moving twist on what happens when you die. Zevin writes the kind of books that make you feel fulfilled after you finish it, but nervous about starting it because you know the book will bring up some deeper stuff that frankly, you don’t want to think about.

It’s difficult to explain the book — somehow, not much happens, but at the same time, everything happens. A teacher once told me that a short story is about the most important event in a person’s life, and a novel is about the most important time period of a person’s life. Memoirs isn’t driven by particular events or conflicts, but covers the most important time in Naomi’s life.

Posted by: Supersonic Jane | December 21, 2007 | 10:15 am
Posted in: Books | Children/Young Adult | Recommended