Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Split

Author: Swati Avasthi

Summary: (goodreadsSixteen-Year-Old Jace Witherspoon arrives at the doorstep of his estranged brother Christian with a re-landscaped face (courtesy of his father’s fist), $3.84, and a secret.


He tries to move on, going for new friends, a new school, and a new job, but all his changes can’t make him forget what he left behind—his mother, who is still trapped with his dad, and his ex-girlfriend, who is keeping his secret.


At least so far.


Worst of all, Jace realizes that if he really wants to move forward, he may first have to do what scares him most: He may have to go back. Award-winning novelist Swati Avasthi has created a riveting and remarkably nuanced portrait of what happens after. After you’ve said enough, after you’ve run, after you’ve made the split—how do you begin to live again? Readers won’t be able to put this intense page-turner down.



Review:  Appropriately titled, Split contains a powerful and heart-breaking narrative about what it is like to pick up the pieces after everything has been broken. Jace struggles with his identity and his mind. His brother seems to have completely pushed away memories of life with their father, but Jace dredges up old demons. Together, they manage to find the ways in which each of them can heal.


Jace is written with a lot of dimension. There are things very deep inside that he refuses to admit to himself, and as readers we slowly learn about his insecurities despite his cocky outside demeanor. The other characters were not as developed, but I think this is book rightly focused on Jace's past because that was what he thinks about and worries about. 

A steady pace of action, morose internal character dialogue as well as sometimes witty banter, make Split a solid story with a solid message. 
Rating: 1  2 3 4 5

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