BOOK REVIEW: Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

"Not all of us have the luxury of being so exquisitely depressed."

DETAILS

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

Gabrielle Zevin

Published August 21st 2007 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Description: If Naomi had picked tails, she would have won the coin toss. She wouldn’t have had to go back for the yearbook camera, and she wouldn’t have hit her head on the steps. She wouldn’t have woken up in an ambulance with amnesia. She certainly would have remembered her boyfriend, Ace. She might even have remembered why she fell in love with him in the first place. She would understand why her best friend, Will, keeps calling her “Chief.” She’d know about her mom’s new family. She’d know about her dad’s fiancée. She never would have met James, the boy with the questionable past and the even fuzzier future, who tells her he once wanted to kiss her. She wouldn’t have wanted to kiss him back.

But Naomi picked heads.

RATING

2/5

It was okay

A GLIMPSE

First impression after the last page? What a circle of events. This book reminded me of why I don't like reading contemporary in the first place. Don't worry, it's a personal preference. Want to start a debate? Click here for my defense.

I read books to entertain me, and if I'm lucky... change my life in some way. Or if I need to settle for something less, at least I read books to get me swooned. Neither of those were achieved with this book. Thus explained the fairly average rating. If I had my way, I can even rate it lower, but since I've decided not too long ago to start criticizing books objectively (and not emotionally), I instead gave this book two stars; because it really is just okay, technically speaking.

The writing style wasn't complicated. The pacing was neither too hurried nor too slow. The only thing that did not live up on my expectation was the execution of the story. The beginning of the book was interesting enough, even the plot in general. To be honest, that was what got me into risking (reading) another contemporary book anyway. Though I have stated my dislike of the genre, from time to time, I convince myself to give chances. I suppose I picked the wrong book.

Usually when I read books, I get bored at first, until I reach over 100 pages and there goes the interesting plot that I almost always cannot stop reading. But this time, it was the opposite. Gradually, it went downhill for me.

WHY READ THIS BOOK

No recommendations cited

A PLUNGE

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

I would usually pick open ended stories rather than the opposite, but this book's open ended-ness wasn't at all flattering. And that is why I said this book is just a circle of events. I felt like I didn't learn anything besides not knowing what "love" is because the main character was just a big mess that after another comes another and then maybe that significant other has been with her all along but it's too late because he already had someone else but then they break up so maybe they have a chance but maybe not because she might find a new guy after she forgets the previous guy which won't take long because it wasn't really love.

Once again, I'd like to quote the words of Naomi's bestfriend, Will, who seem to be the only character who made sense in the story:

"Not all of us have the luxury of being so exquisitely depressed."

Throw that in her face, bro!

Seriously, Naomi just pissed me off in all different angles because (1) she's not the only person in the world with problems (2) she's too selfish to appreciate what she has to blame everyone else around her (3) she decides immaturely and unsurprisingly regrets it later on (4) seriously? What does she enjoy doing really? One moment she likes Yearbook, then quits, then does not express her likeness of the field at all when she regained her memory but later on semi-re-join anyway when she no longer has James to spend her time with (5) and then she joins Acting claiming she's not into it but pursues it anyway (6) and then there's Photography she took as an Elective as a choice then regrets it later on but what the hell she initially photographed for the yearbooks anyway so what... does she or does she not like Photography or is just me? (7) and oh she's just a drama queen who overreacts over things she has no control of anyway and may just at the current state be temporary problems.

Dearest Naomi,

Your head trauma? Your amnesia? Your adoption? Your Mother cheated on your Father? Your Father's remarrying?

THOSE ARE NOT PROBLEMS DEAR, THEY'RE SITUATIONS. YOU CAN'T SOLVE THOSE. YOU CAN'T CHANGE THOSE. ONLY YOU CAN SIT STILL AND WAIT AND ACCEPT.

Yours,
Lilah Gran

Sum it all up and I guess that is why I usually go for books with strong female leads, not some petty high school girl who thinks she's cursed because she's adopted and that her Mother cheated on her Dad where in fact she almost cheated on Ace anyway, and couldn't just accept "change" overall, because seriously, it seemed like reading on a 10 year old girl's perspective.

  

That's all. And boy did it sound like a rant.