Review: Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone by Kat Rosenfield

Tags: young adult, contemporary, death, murder, small town

Summary

Becca is on the brink of leaving her suffocatingly small town—just one summer to go before college—when the appearance of a dead girl’s body shocks everyone. As the claustrophobic community of Bridgeton attempts to figure out the meaning of this death and its impact on them, Becca finds herself clinging to her old life—her old job, her high school boyfriend—scared to see herself in Amelia Anne’s fate.

Review

AMELIA ANNE IS DEAD AND GONE is not really a book that wants you to like it. From the uncomfortable opening sex scene to the way Becca’s plotline ends up intersecting with that of Amelia Anne’s death, it’s like you’re forcibly pressed close to the story and its ugliness, so that every blemish is magnified. If you’re the kind of reader who likes this no-gloss dissection of flawed characters and setting, then great! It wasn’t my type of read, but I can see why other will find this winning.

Say goodbye to your romantic conception of the American small town. Bridgeton is vicious and claustrophobic, its bright spots—such as stars at night and a swimming hole—marred by the harsh reality of tensions between locals and summer residents, people’s desperate desire to escape its black hole gravity. As someone who definitely has a romantic conception of the American small town, AMELIA ANNE’s depiction nearly made me cry, it was so unforgiving. It’s the same with the characters. They gossip and slander and take sides and make poor decisions and say terrible things to one another. But Kat Rosenfield does not apologize for reality—and nor should she. Even I have to respect her for that.

That being said, if you’re the kind of reader who likes a certain amount of happiness in your books, AMELIA ANNE might not deliver. Becca, the protagonist, is not particularly likable: she denies the harshness of reality by retreating within herself, and forgives her boyfriend for his really very heartless act. While in theory I can understand her reactions—she’s on the brink of leaving Bridgeton, exciting but also terrified, when Amelia Anne’s shocking death sends her reeling and petrifies her—I don’t think they were explained as well as they could have been in the book.

In addition, I found the prose too “pretty” in an unoriginal sort of way. Unfortunately I don’t have the book on hand to find examples, but passages that I could tell were supposed to be insightful or beautiful instead left me unmoved. I like turns of phrase that surprise me, a la Beth Kephart or Cath Crowley, but if you’ve read your fair share of lit-er-uh-chur, you’re going to realize that you’ve seen all the similes and metaphors here before.

I wanted AMELIA ANNE IS DEAD AND GONE to be emotionally and literarily earth-shattering, but it wasn’t for me. However, I can bet there’s an avid audience for this book. For those who prefer their YA lit darker and without supernatural delusions of luv, check this out.

Similar Authors
Anna Jarzab
Nova Ren Suma
Kirsten Hubbard

Cover discussion: The muted, desaturated colors match the mood of this book.

Dutton Juvenile / July 5, 2012 / Hardcover / 304pp. / $17.99

Copy received for review from publisher.

Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone Blog Tour Author Interview with Kat Rosenfield

I'm lucky to be part of a blog tour for Kat Rosenfield's debut novel, Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone, about which I've heard tons of great things. And today I have Kat over for an exclusive interview, yay! Without further ado...

1. Who or what influences you?

Books, movies, memories, my editor, my agent, my husband, talking with friends, eavesdropping on strangers, old family photos, emails from my mom, local folklore, craft beer, trees that look like monsters, and about a million other things. (I'm extremely suggestible, creatively and in general.)

2. What are some differences between you writing for your freelance jobs and writing your own novels?

For one, I don't think I've ever spent an entire day lying facedown in despair over my freelance work. (Writing fiction gives me a lot of feelings, okay?) But apart from that, the voice I use as a freelancer is very different from the one I use in writing novels; they're both very much me, but the Kat that writes silly lists and entertainment gossip and advises teenagers on how to ask their crush to prom is a lot more sassy and extroverted. And she's probably more fun to hang out with; Novelist Kat is kind of a silent weirdo who collects bat skeletons and never washes her hair.

3. What other author's books would your book date?


I'd like to think that my book and John Green's books could have a pretty good time together.

...And by that, I mean that my book would hang awkwardly around his books until one of them looked over, gave it a bro nod, and said, "Hey", at which point my book would stammer something unintelligible and then pee its pants and run away.

4. Name 3 things that appear in your book that aren't mentioned in the synopsis.

A submerged tractor, a polka-dot bra, and a handful of bloody teeth.

5. What's on rotation in your MP3 player right now?

It's a little embarrassing, but I'm actually right at the start of a summer-long project to make myself more pop-musically literate after a years-long dry spell of not buying music. So I'm listening to the Civil Wars, Azealia Banks, and fun. at the moment — but if someone wants to suggest some others, that would be excellent.

Author Bio:

Kat Rosenfield is a freelance writer and YA author. She lives in New England, but that might change. Visit her author website, or follow her on Twitter (@KatRosenfield).

About the book:

An arresting un-coming-of-age story, from a breathtaking talent

Becca has always longed to break free from her small, backwater hometown. But the discovery of an unidentified dead girl on the side of a dirt road sends the town--and Becca--into a tailspin. Unable to make sense of the violence of the outside world creeping into her backyard, Becca finds herself retreating inward, paralyzed from moving forward for the first time in her life.

Short chapters detailing the last days of Amelia Anne Richardson's life are intercut with Becca's own summer as the parallel stories of two young women struggling with self-identity and relationships on the edge twist the reader closer and closer to the truth about Amelia's death.

---

Thanks, Kat! Anyone got some music recommendations for her? (And, transitively, me as well?)

Follow the rest of the Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone blog tour:

7/9- Kick-off & Giveaway at The Mod Podge Bookshelf
7/10- Interview at Rescue Reads
7/12- Review at The Story Siren
7/13- Guest Blog at author Kelsey Sutton's Blog
7/15- Debut Author Spotlight Interview & Giveaway at Page Turners Blog
7/16- Guest Blog at 365 Days of Reading
7/17- Guest Blog at Magnet For Books
7/18- Interview at Steph Su Reads
7/19- Giveaway at YA Bliss
7/20- Interview & Giveaway at Reading or Breathing
7/21- Review at The Mod Podge Bookshelf
7/22- Giveaway at Midnight Garden
7/23- Guest Blog and Giveaway at Reading Away the Days
7/24- Giveaway at Books to Consider
7/25- Guest Blog at Words Like Silver
7/26- Review at Making the Grade
7/27- Interview at Book Chic
7/28- Guest Blog at The Mod Podge Bookshelf

This blog tour was organized by Gabrielle Carolina of Mod Podge Book Tours. For more information, go to the blog tour page!

Waiting on Wednesday (119)

It's been a while (3 months!) since I've done a WoW, so here are a few titles that have caught my attention lately, and that I eagerly anticipate. Although they may not be news to you, because my in-the-know-ness about book publishing has seriously declined this past year. All book summaries from Goodreads.

Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin, Book 1) by R. L. LaFevers

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae's most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

I'm pretty sure people have been talking about this book for a while already but it only recently popped up on my radar. I'm beginning to realize that I have a "thing" for literary assassins and spies: they're so  more clever than I'll ever be, and I love reading about characters smarter than me and pretend that I can be as resourceful as them if I'm ever in their situation. This book sounds like it has the makings of an epic tale, both in length, world-building, writing, plot, characters, scope... et cetera. Read an excerpt of the book here and tell me if you're not hooked by the concept and writing style as well.

Grave Mercy will be published in hardcover from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on April 3, 2012.

Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone by Kat Rosenfield

On the night of Becca’s high school graduation, the discovery of an unidentified dead girl left to bleed out on the side of a dirt road sends the town—and Becca—into a tailspin. Becca has always longed to break free from her small home town, but as the violence of the outside world creeps into her backyard, she withdraws and retreats inward, paralyzed for the first time in her life.

Short chapters detailing the last days of Amelia Anne Richardson’s life are intercut with Becca’s own coming-of-age summer, unfolding into the parallel stories of two young women struggling with self-identity and tense romantic relationships as the summer’s tumultuous events twist Becca closer and closer to the truth about Amelia’s murder.

Gabrielle Carolina of The Mod Podge Bookshelf has been relentlessly hounding me to put this book on my radar, saying that it's one of the best books she's read in 2012 so far, and that apparently that sentiment is reflected by its editor, THE Julie Strauss-Gabel (whose name should come with royal literary titles or something), who said something along the lines of how this was the best debut she's ever read. If that isn't enough to make you sell your kidney for a galley of this, then I don't know what else you need.

Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone will be published in hardcover from Dutton Juvenile on July 5, 2012.

Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier

Sixteen-year-old Neryn is alone in the land of Alban, where the oppressive king has ordered anyone with magical strengths captured and brought before him. Eager to hide her own canny skill--a uniquely powerful ability to communicate with the fairy-like Good Folk--Neryn sets out for the legendary Shadowfell, a home and training ground for a secret rebel group determined to overthrow the evil King Keldec.

During her dangerous journey, she receives aid from the Good Folk, who tell her she must pass a series of tests in order to recognize her full potential. She also finds help from a handsome young man, Flint, who rescues her from certain death--but whose motives in doing so remain unclear. Neryn struggles to trust her only allies. They both hint that she alone may be the key to Alban's release from Keldec's rule. Homeless, unsure of who to trust, and trapped in an empire determined to crush her, Neryn must make it to Shadowfell not only to save herself, but to save Alban.

I have jumped on the lifelong Marillier fan train (evidence here)--a little belatedly, perhaps, but no less ferociously. How many authors do you have whose books you'll read no matter what the synopsis is about? Kristin Cashore. John Green. Megan McCafferty. Melina Marchetta. Ilona Andrews. And yes, Juliet Marillier. Frankly, any of the aforementioned authors could write about whatever the heck they want--the life cycles of stinkbugs, the composition of bricks, vampires--and I'd read it.

Shadowfell will be published in hardcover from Knopf in Fall 2012.

Above World by Jenn Reese

A suspenseful sci-fi escapade plucks two children out of the ocean for a thrilling adventure.

Thirteen-year-old Aluna has lived her entire life under the ocean with the Coral Kampii in the City of Shifting Tides. But after centuries spent hidden from the Above World, her colony's survival is at risk. The Kampii's breathing necklaces are failing, but the elders are unwilling to venture above water to seek answers. Only headstrong Aluna and her friend Hoku are stubborn and bold enough to face the terrors of land to search for way to save their people. But can Aluna's fierce determination and fighting skills and Hoku's tech-savvy keep them safe? Set in a world where overcrowding has led humans to adapt - growing tails to live under the ocean or wings to live on mountains - here is a ride through a future where greed and cruelty have gone unchecked, but the loyalty of friends remains true.

I shamelessly follow whatever books that delightful MG fantasy author Stephanie Burgis recommends, and so when I saw her Goodreads review about this book, and then she later tweeted me about it (more than once, if I recall correctly), and then I saw that it's a Candlewick book, which has hardly ever failed me in terms of book quality, well, I slapped this baby on my TBR list like whoa.

Above World will be published in hardcover from Candlewick Press on February 14, 2012--oh awesome, that was yesterday! That means all you people in the US are lucky enough to be able to stroll into a bookstore and pick this up.