Review: The Survival Kit by Donna Freitas

Tags: YA, contemporary, grief, hockey

Summary

After her irrepressible mother dies of cancer, Rose finds a “survival kit” that her mother made for her, a paper bag containing several objects that are supposed to help Rose overcome her grief. As Rose slowly comes to terms with the tragedy, her interactions with the objects in the Survival Kit invariably affect her relationships with important people in her lives, from her father, to her ex-boyfriend, to her friends, to the boy who might be her new love.

Review

Donna Freitas is arguably YA’s best kept secret: her books are released with little fanfare, yet they are all beautifully, subtly written contemporary stories that linger in readers’ emotions for a long time to come. THE SURVIVAL KIT takes on a premise that has become unfortunately conventional in terms of contemporary YA plots, and manages to make it into a heartwarming, memorable, and utterly unique story.

Strangely enough, THE SURVIVAL KIT begins with a slew of clichés: the dead mother, the alcoholic father, the ex-cheerleader protagonist with her quarterback boyfriend and token POC best friend. It wasn’t long, however, before THE SURVIVAL KIT began to set itself apart from other books containing these clichéd elements. There may be cheerleaders and football players in this book, but the characters are not gag-inducing stereotypes: they are truly nice, flawed, well-intentioned…refreshingly normal people.

Rose is grieving, yes, but she’s working to get back to a place where she was once a creative and golden-hearted girl, and is thus not only defined by her grief for her mother. Other characters, too, retain that level of subtlety. Props go to Rose’s quarterback boyfriend and her former cheerleading teammates for not sounding like cardboard characters. Will is appreciably swoony, but THE SURVIVAL KIT’s strength lies in gradual and immersive character development, which puts this book a cut above other YA books about grief.

A successful retelling of an easily clichéd premise and characters that feel truly real combine to make me say: Bravo, Donna Freitas. THE SURVIVAL KIT may not have the flashy synopsis that bestselling lists love, but I hope that word of mouth will help this well-deserving book find a home in the hands of numbers of appreciative readers.

Similar Authors
Jandy Nelson
Tara Kelly

Cover discussion: It grew on me! At first I thought it was kind of weird, to have a model but to not have it be a photograph. But now I think that its uniqueness really matches Rose, and hopefully makes it stand out from other books.

Farrar, Straus and Giroux / Oct. 11, 2011 / Hardcover / 368pp. / $16.99

ARC received for review from publisher.

Waiting on Wednesday (105)

The Survival Kit by Donna Freitas

A romantic and heartfelt celebration of both memories and new beginnings.

When Rose’s mom dies, she leaves behind a brown paper bag labeled Rose’s Survival Kit. Inside the bag, Rose finds an iPod, with a to-be-determined playlist; a picture of peonies, for growing; a crystal heart, for loving; a paper star, for making a wish; and a paper kite, for letting go.

As Rose ponders the meaning of each item, she finds herself returning again and again to an unexpected source of comfort. Will is her family’s gardener, the school hockey star, and the only person who really understands what she’s going through. Can loss lead to love?

I'm in the middle of rereading 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson (one of my favorite books when I was younger) in preparation to review The Last Little Blue Envelope. The Survival Kit kind of reminds me a bit of 13 Little Blue Envelopes, at least from the synopsis: using objects to enlarge one's life and understand something that's hard to comprehend, like death. Plus, I LOVE that cover. Wow. And finally, Donna's last book, This Gorgeous Game, was astounding, so I am all the more looking forward to what she has for us next!

The Survival Kit will be released in hardcover from Farrar, Straus and Giroux on October 11, 2011.

Review: This Gorgeous Game by Donna Freitas

Tags: YA, stalking, Catholicism, writing

Summary

Olivia Peters’ dream comes true when she wins a prestigious high school writing contest and gets the attention of Father Mark Brennan, an esteemed priest, professor, and writer. As a reward for her contest win, Father Mark takes Olivia under his wing and introduces her to the fascinating world of writers and the writing lifestyle.

For a while, Olivia is sailing. She has an attentive mentor, a new crush, and good relationships with her family, friends, and teachers. But then she begins to feel that something might be wrong. Hardly a minute goes by without Father Mark contacting her in some way, pressuring her to meet up with him, go over their writing together, have a drink. And the more Olivia tries to avoid it, the bigger and the more terrifying the problem gets.

Review

THIS GORGEOUS GAME is one of those books that, try as hard as you can, you won’t be able to get off your mind after reading. It’s chilling and astonishingly well-written, and if you’re looking for a book that will disturb and move you, this should be the one.

Stalking is extremely difficult to discuss, because it’s personal, upsetting, and so subtle you don’t realize something’s wrong until it’s already happened. That’s why what Donna Freitas has accomplished in THIS GORGEOUS GAME is so impressive and respectable. In writing alternatingly lyrical and down-to-earth, Freitas captures the simultaneous realism and surrealism of Olivia’s situation. Passages of unearthly beauty entwine with creepy situations for the mood that this story needs to be effectively convincing.

Olivia narrates her story with all the subtlety that this topic demands. Most of us will know what’s happening, can see the signs, but we can also see why Olivia could not have noticed the signs like the way we with our foresight can. Olivia’s story perfectly captures the terror of stalking, because it’s precisely its near-invisibility that makes it so disturbingly powerful.

THIS GORGEOUS GAME is as far from a light read as you can get. I still get goosebumps every time I think about or try to talk about this book, which hopefully shows the power that Olivia’s story had over me, the effect of Donna Freitas’ words. If physical horror isn’t your thing and you want to read something that will affect you profoundly, THIS GORGEOUS GAME is the ultimate choice. See if you get chills from reading it as I did.

Similar Authors
Julie Anne Peters (By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead)
Courtney Summers

Writing: 5/5
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 5/5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5


Cover discussion: 4 out of 5 - It's simple, yet gorgeous and powerful, so symbolic, so mesmerizing.

Farrar, Straus & Girous / May 25, 2010 / Hardcover / 224pp. / $16.99

ARC received from publisher.