Blythe Woolston

The troubled heroine of The Freak Observer reminded me a little of myself in high school. I tended toward the dark and sarcastic when I was a teenager because I was trying to be cool. Loa, on the hand, is not cynical because she's grumpy; she has actual PTSD. When the book begins, she's suffered not just one, but two terrible losses--her baby sister, who dies of a rare genetic disorder, and her suicidal friend. And, actually, it's three losses if you count the sudden move of her debate partner.

So Loa is alone and psychologically not well. Her voice as a narrator was distinct, but I can't say I liked it. It just really bummed me out. I was also not a fan of the five or six nightmare sequences sprinkled in the narrative because I don't like fictional characters telling their dreams like that's supposed to explain them. Loa is self-aware enough to acknowledge that she feels menaced by death, so describing more than one of her dreams about the grim reaper was not necessary. Just creepy and skip-able.

As with [b:Nothing|6647312|Nothing|Janne Teller|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266804447s/6647312.jpg|6841835], though I didn't particularly love it, there is a lot to absorb here. Physics principles, for one. And how some families struggle to find a way to live. How tragedy affects a smart young girl.… (more)