Author: Eric Lindstrom
Published: 2015
Genre: Contemporary
Grade Level: YA
-Trigger Warning: Grief
-Movie Rating: R-rated for vulgar language
-Features: Physical Disability (blindness)
Blurb (from goodreads):
Parker Grant doesn't need 20/20 vision to see right through
you. That's why she created the Rules: Don't treat her any differently just
because she's blind, and never take advantage. There will be no second chances.
Just ask Scott Kilpatrick, the boy who broke her heart.
When Scott suddenly reappears in her life after being gone
for years, Parker knows there's only one way to react - shun him so hard it
hurts. She has enough on her mind already, like trying out for the track team,
doling out tough-love advice to her painfully naïve classmates, and giving
herself gold stars for every day she hasn't cried since her dad's death three
months ago.
But avoiding her past quickly proves impossible, and the
more Parker learns about what really happened - both with Scott, and her dad -
the more she starts to question if things are always as they seem.
Maybe, just maybe, some Rules are meant to be broken.
My Scores:
Writing Style: Top Notch
As you can tell from the title, this book is full of dark/witty humor.
Simply the fact that the MC is blind it provides the reader with a very
unique perspective on the world. She doesn’t see all the non-verbal ques
those around her give off, so she is forced to make her best educated
guess. She also isn’t privy to the judgement people have of each other based on
the color of their skin or their body shape, which is intriguing.
I love the way the MC’s emotions are shown in the writing
style. Many times, the MC would have spiraling thoughts that got way out of
control and the author would use run-on sentences to convey that.
For example: "I remember something like this from when I was
little kid, running downstairs, feet in a rhythm in time with gravity’s pull as
your body drops down, down, down—thump thump thump—and then suddenly you think
about what you’re doing and something changes…Your brain was controlling your
feet automatically but then you’re suddenly handed the controls and now you’re
aware of needing to execute every single step one at a time, like thinking
about your breathing and then your body stops doing it and you have to take
over and do it yourself and you wonder how you can stop doing it and
give control back to whatever part of your brain normally does it when you’re
not paying attention, but your brain just hands you the steering wheel while
you’re running down the stairs and suddenly you’re driving but incapable of
handling this speed and in that moment you either manage to slow down, you
stumble, or you fall."
I am seriously impressed by this, because I have literally
felt this way before but I’m not sure I could have managed to put it to paper
any better than this.
Characters: Absolutely Amazing
Pros:
The MC, Parker, has most certainly stolen a piece of my
heart. I loved the first-person voice of this character. She was sarcastic,
bold, outspoken, and independent to a fault. Nothing and no one was going to
stop her from doing what she wanted, no matter how reckless it happened to be.
I related to her on so many levels and I simply adored her
dark/witty sense of humor.
Other reviewers have commented that Parker isn’t the most
likable of characters. However, my interpretation was that she wasn’t supposed
to be. Anyone who has gone through trauma or grief knows that you’re not the
most likable person afterwards. You build walls, shove people away, and
over-objectify other people’s problems because none of them could possibly
compare to the ones you’re going through. So, to me, Parker was a wonderful
character to root for as she worked though her grief and interpersonal
relationships.
I do have to say, though, that I missed having the
non-verbal ques that every other book has. Not having them gave off a very
disjointed feeling. However, again, I think that’s exactly what this book is
trying to get the audience to acknowledge about the difficulties of being
blind. I truly didn’t grasp that particular struggle until reading this book.
As for all the side characters, such as the two friend
characters, the family, and the love interest, I felt like they were real
people. I felt about them the same way the MC felt about them. I missed having
the typical description of them, but again that is part of the perspective we
were given.
Cons:
I think it would have been interesting if this book had
been duel-perspective, so that I could get a better sense of how other people
viewed Parker, especially the love interest. Although, that is less of a ‘con’
and more like a ‘want.’
Plot: Absolute Page Turner
The plot for this novel is based around the MC dealing with
her past. The loss of her father. The betrayal of her boyfriend. The pity and
isolation she receives from those around her since she went blind.
There is a side of romance, but it’s not the driving force
of this book.
I found it to be well paced, heart-wrenching, and
unbelievably inspirational.
Overall: Totally Obsessed
If you can’t tell, I loved this book! It was my first book
with a blind MC and now I can’t wait to find other books with similar
perspectives. I’m dying to see what else this disability has to offer.
Messaging:
-Treat people with disabilities like people. Period.
Goodreads Rating: 5 out
of 5 stars
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