Sunday, January 18, 2009

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

Jenna Fox has just awoken from a coma, and she can't remember anything about her life. Her parents tell her she was in a serious car accident, and barely survived. Even as Jenna watches old home videos of herself, something feels off. The way her grandmother seems to hate her for no reason and how her parents won't tell her anything about the accident makes Jenna feel like she's part of some secret, a secret so deep and dark that she can't even know about it. A secret about Jenna's very existence.

I had no idea this was a science fiction novel when I started it. I thought it was one of those novels where the girl wakes up from a coma and has amnesia and can't remember anything. So I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the book takes place several years in the future, since I love reading about future societies. I felt really bad for Jenna, because she seemed so lost throughout the book. It was hard for her to be her own person and at the same time try to be the Jenna that her parents loved and adored so much. I liked how Mary E. Pearson wrote the novel. She started out writing in sparse language, and as Jenna begins to adapt to her new life and become her own person, the writing becomes more detailed and flows better. It was a good way to show Jenna's transition. Now for Jenna's secret. There were hints of it throughout the book, so I started to guess what it was but it was still a surprise. Even though the reader and Jenna finds out about who she is fairly early in the novel, there are still other twists and turns that keep the suspense going. The Adoration of Jenna Fox was very thought-provoking and a good book for fans of science fiction.

8 out of 10.

2 comments:

Thao said...

The summary does not sound really appealing to me but after reading your review I think I should give this a try if there's a chance.

J.C. said...

This has been sitting on my shelf for a few weeks now. I always pick others books to read instead. After reading your review, I might have to give it a shot this weekend.