What a great idea!
Spoiler Alert: Yes or No Spoiler
The only potential spoilers will be in spoiler tags. Open if you dare.
Title of BookGenuine Fraud by E. Lockhart
Brief Summary of Book:A psychological thriller backtracks the friendship Jule and Imogen, a story told in reverse chronological order by an unreliable narrator. The plot involves romance, murders and lots of lies. It is set in a variety of places (including
this beach) and involves a fair bit of travel. The friendship between these two seems tumultuous at times, but the truth is drip-fed to the reader, creating a lot of suspense. It was certainly a book that kept you wanting more, albeit a little confusing at first. Combined with the other characters, all suspicious of the nature of Jule and Imogen's relationships and the stormy relationships she has with Forrest and Brooke, we are left to wonder how things will pan out.
Analysis (meaning and purpose of text):I'm not really sure, to be honest. This isn't something I often think about. I guess that this novel highlights many issues within our community and leaves us feeling a little uncomfortable as we begin to relate to a narrator who seems quite wicked in all she does. The issues this text touches on include adoption (and abandonment), crime and mental health.
Favourite Quote(s):“She didn't know if she could love her own mangled, strange heart. She wanted someone else to do it for her, to see it beating behind her ribs and to say,
I can see your true self. It is there, and it is rare and worthy. I love you.”
“The way you speak is often more important than anything you have to say.”
“She knew that women were rarely the centres of such stories. Instead, they were eye candy, arm candy, victims, or love interests. Mostly, they existed to help the great white hetero hero on his fucking epic journey. When there was a heroine, she weighed very little, wore very little, and had had her teeth fixed.”
“The important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.”
"Your character isn’t static. It’s an adaptation.”
Spoiler
“If only she could go back in time, Jule felt, she would be a better person. Or a different person. She would be more herself. Or maybe less herself.”
Reccomedantion out of 5:4/5 - I thoroughly enjoyed it but there were a lot of mixed reviews online. The reason I did not give it 5 is because of how confusing I found the story to follow initially, although it did get easier quite quickly. The ending was fantastic, which is always important when choosing a novel, so that's definitely a plus!