YA Spotlight | Review

YA, or Young Adult, is a burgeoning genre in contemporary fiction that is only gaining momentum. Supposedly, YA is written, published, and marketed for adolescents under the age of 18. Yet here I am, a 23 year-old woman with a voracious YA appetite! 

There has been a lot of smack lately regarding YA. If you haven't heard, Slate published a nasty article called Against YA, undermining the genre and discouraging adults to read YA. The article subtitle says it all. "Read whatever you want. But you should feel embarrassed when what you're reading was written for children." 

This blog series is a response to not only this article, but also to literary dictators with black and white perceptions of what constitutes literature. I believe those perceptions to be wrong and I pity the fool who dictates what readers should and shouldn't read! Most importantly, this blog series is for readers like me who absolutely love YA and are eager for more. 

**Please note, the order of the books presented is based on the order I read/finished each book. It has nothing to do with my personal preference as I absolutely loved BOTH books equally! 

Enjoy!

Discovered: Books On The Nightstand Podcast
Status: Read
Purchased: Barnes & Noble Retailer
Mode: Hardcover

Word on the street is that We Were Liars is the YA book of the summer. It was published on May 13, 2014 by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Publishing. Most recently, it was on Amazon's  list of Best Teen & Young Adult Books of 2014 So Far. The book's position on not only Amazon's list, but also many others, is most deserving. The plot is quite simple. It's about the Sinclair family, spending their summers on their private island off of Cape Cod. Like most YA novels, We Were Liars is a coming-of-age story narrated by Cadence, aka Cady, as she tries to unlock the mystery of an accident that caused her to lose parts of her memory.

[Warning, mild spoilers]

When I first heard the synopsis of We Were Liars, I was turned off by the old American grandeur of the setting. A private island off Cape Cod? I sensed another Great Gatsby/Gossip Girl YA, romanticizing the lives of east coast gentry. And yes, E. Lockhart does exactly that. She romanticizes the shining Sinclair family, a close-knit brood of blonde-haired and blue-eyed Americans, beautiful in the eyes of their beholders. But she also breaks them down. Despite their glamor and beauty, the Sinclairs are isolated just like their island. And amid the money, material, and influence, they are broken by greed, prejudice, and denial. For every vice is a kindling added to the Sinclair woodpile of material illusions. And Cadence and her cousins/friend become victims of that woodpile finally catching fire.

Sounds grim, huh?

Don't be discouraged, We Were Liars is also poignantly breathtaking. So much so that it struck a cord below my ribs (cue my never ending Jane Eyre references). It portrays greed and material obsession in a broken family, but it also shows forgiveness and self-healing. And despite Cady's broken psyche, her strength and maturity were beautiful. We Were Liars is bitter, but it is also soothing for its closure. If you're looking for a book, in which the characters are jumping into the sea just as you are this summer, I urge you to to pick up We Were Liars.

Discovered: Barnes & Noble / Books On The Nightstand Podcast
Status: Read
Purchased: Barnes & Noble Online
Mode: Exclusive Collector's Edition Hardcover :)

Oh gad, where to start with this book. Eleanor & Park is one of the few books I still think of even after moving onto other books. Another big YA summer hit, Eleanor & Park was published on February 26, 2013 by St. Martin's Press, an imprint of Macmillan. The title is pretty self-explanatory. Eleanor & Park is about Eleanor and Park... finding friendship and love, amid domestic abuse, neglect, bullying, and poverty.

I found this book at my local Barnes & Noble retailer under the section "Young Adult Fiction Most Resembling Real Life," which made me chuckle because it shows that many people, at least those in my neighborhood, are unclear of what constitutes YA. I guess the popular perception of YA is molded by paranormal/fantasy/sci-fi elements that are often inflated by popular culture and media. But YA goes beyond the limited "safe zone" of vampires, werewolves, and dystopias; it touches real aspects of our waking lives. It relates to all the shit we go through with our family members, friends, and classmates. It tackles issues such as sexuality, body image, divorce, and racism, we grow up with. This is YA.

[Warning, spoilers]

Eleanor and Park face some of the many social stigmas present in high school. Eleanor is an eccentric new student at Park's high school, but she is an oddball. Her school mates think she's fat and call her "Big Red" and her sense of style is kooky. As if high school drama isn't enough for poor Eleanor, she is consumed by dysfunctional family drama. Everyday, she is forced to deal with poverty, neglect, and domestic abuse, all of which she is ashamed to speak of with Park. According to her, Park's family and living situation are most ideal. However, Park faces issues of his own, such as racism (due to his biracial parenting), femininity, and acceptance. These issues cause him to be understandably shallow. But Park is too hard on himself; he believes his shallow nature a flaw and a betrayal to Eleanor.

Despite the circumstances, Eleanor and Park heal and grow from each other's friendship and love. In the beginning, Eleanor lacks love. Sure, her parents love her as they naturally should, but that love is not enough to protect and nurture her. Her narrative is jaded for a girl in the prime of puberty, as if she already accepted her misfortune. But once Park enters her life, the burst of unfamiliar emotions freak her out. She's not used to many things such as love, friends, even food! So she tries to deny her love for Park and convinces herself that she doesn't need his love. But the friendship and love she finds on the back of the school bus are soothing wounds to this broken and beautiful girl. A lot of the stuff in her life still sucks, but at least she knows that the love given is hugely deserved. Park also grows from his relationship with Eleanor. As previously mentioned, Park is shallow. Eleanor actually pisses him off when they first meet because of her outrageous clothes and demeanor. He also admits to liking the idea that the most popular girl in school hasn't gotten over him because it grants him immunity for his peculiar ways. But after meeting Eleanor, he performs acts of altruism and selflessness. And at the end of the novel he performs the most selfless act of letting Eleanor go.

If you want to see two teens emerge beautiful and strong from all the horrible things they go through in high school, I urge you to pick up Eleanor & Park.

If you enjoyed this YA Spotlight, please stay tuned next month for another post!