LitPick Review
Sophie Blue and Kenny Fade (he'd like to make sure you
know that it's pronounced Fa-DAY) are on opposite ends of
the spectrum. While Sophie endures being the outcast of
Upheare High School, Kenny is living the high life. As the
Upheare Toro's star basketball player, paramour of the
head cheerleader Dayna Daynes, and an all-around nice guy,
he is worshiped by the majority of the school's
population. Both have irritating, red scars on their
elbows. Both know a strange woman in white called Rose
Fade, or sometimes "La Nutrika". After Kenny collapses and
dies following a basketball game, he ends up in neither
heaven nor hell, but a vacuum store in space. He spins a
wheel, drinks a can of the popular soft drink Sour White,
and is returned to Upheare High School. Only this time,
he's not Kenny. From zombie attacks to trips to the
virtual world, will Sophie finally figure out what
happened to her father? What is the Virtuality? And will
Sophie's arm ever stop itching?
Opinion:
Fade to Blue is a mind-boggling patchwork of twists and
turns. The book begins with a snarky, sarcastic bang, and
then the reader is sent off on an evil speeding truck of
confusion through this dense novel. Sophie and her younger
brother, Kenny 'O.S.' Blue, seemed to be the only 3-D
personalities throughout the story. I believe the author
wrote them this way on purpose, not only to develop the
storyline, but also to offer a commentary on how teens see
their lives. Giving the secondary characters simple,
repetitive names like Dayna Daynes and Aaron Agar only
served to accentuate this. From the very beginning, we can
feel Sophie's confusion and anger, and we are amazed at
how her mind retains its ferocity throughout the trials
she goes through. The author only gives us information
when he thinks we need it, and keeps us coming back for
more. We have to not only find the puzzle pieces, but
follow the trail and put them together at the same time.
As a reader, the constant point-of-view switching was
jarring and more than a little disorienting, but it was
something I got used to over time. I found the graphic
novel comic book interlude to not only be helpful to the
plot, but also very mentally refreshing. It's not often
that an author can pull something like that off in such a
short novel. I would recommend reading this book twice,
just in case you missed a connection the first time
around. An amazing, confusing, and exhilarating read.
KEYWORDS
Read more reviews by this Litpick Book Reviewer: SHC