Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Lexie

I think what the synopsis fails to mention is that the group of people
who don't want the 'living impaired' (or 'differently biotic') kids at
their school are extremely violent. I think anyone who had to read To Kill a Mockingbird
in English class or had to sit through a 'sensitivity' meeting at their
schools can understand what it must be like for Phoebe and her friends.
A lot of what the teachers and advocates for the Differently Biotic
(DB) were saying I remember hearing when my school first started to
allow gay or lesbian couples to attend the Prom or Homecoming Dances
together. Or after 9-11 when we had a mandatory school assembly to talk
about the recent violence committed against the Muslim students in our
school.

The story itself is a little drawn out I think and that
makes it a little stilted to read at times. Its told in third person
limited for the most part, though it seems to branch into third person
omniscient at times too. For instance the section will be following
Phoebe around, exploring her reactions and such and then suddenly, in
the same section without breaks, cut to what Adam was thinking. It got
a little confusing at those times.

I think that the world is
well built--its pretty much the world we live in, but with DB's running
around. Its not as 'cool' to be a goth and you won't be finding too
many people calling each other 'dead-heads' (which was a term for
druggies when I was in HS) and George Romero has been elevated in
status, but otherwise its no different from my town.

The romance
between Phoebe and Tommy is sweet--Phoebe doesn't completely understand
her feelings towards Tommy, he interests her and at first I think a lot
of that interest is tied up in her trying to come to terms with seeing
one of her best friends come back as a DB. I think as she starts to see
them as separate people and less like a horde of zombies, her interest
turned more romantic. But like anything during the teen years she's
confused--she has her best friend Adam who has suddenly developed into
a mature version of the guy she pal'ed around with as kids, her best
friend Margi, who is (at best) neutral about the DB's and freaked out
by Colette's re-birth and then she has society at large saying its
wrong, its immoral, its indecent and disgusting.

I mostly wanted
to know more about what Margi has to feel so guilty about Colette's
death--she opens up in starts and fits as Phoebe becomes more insistent
that she talk to her. Pete, the biggest racist this side of anywhere (I
can easily see him as White Supremicist in the South), has his own
issues tied up with Phoebe and the DB's and a past relationship that he
has pretty much raised to Sacred. He's a bully and a brute and jerk
that's more violence then planning.

I look forward to reading the second book, Kiss of Life! And if you want more interactivity check out Tommy Williamson's Blog My So-Called Undeath,
where 'Tommy' posts (in the book he has a blog as well, that he uses to
reach out to other DB's across the nation to help them adjust to their
new Undeath).

((reprinted with author's permission))