Stay Where You Are and Then Leave, by John Boyne

I just read John Boyne's newest historical fiction novel on Netgalley. I didn't find it quite as captivating as his earlier The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, but I still really enjoyed the novel and Boyne's lyrical writing style.

Stay Where You Are and Then Leave is about a boy named Alfie and his family's experiences as his father, Georgie, enlists in the army to fight in World War I. Alfie and his mother, Margie, are left alone in London to fend for themselves, and their entire world changes quickly after Georgie leaves. Margie finds herself having to get a job, Alfie notices that attendance at school is no longer enforced, and neighbors begin to disappear. Alfie looks forward to the regular letters from his father, until they stop coming. Alfie is convinced that his father has died, but his mother insists he's on a "secret mission". Alfie soon learns the truth, and the novel takes a turn into examining post-traumatic stress disorder, before it was given that name.


I thought it was really interesting to examine PTSD through the lens of World War I, because you hear about it so often right now with soldiers returning from the Middle East. I was also amazed, again, at Boyne's ability to capture the voice of a child, and thought the narrative was very age-appropriate.

Publication Date: March 25, 2014

The Tyrant's Daughter, by J.C. Carleson

I don’t know why, but I’ve always been intrigued by novels about the Middle East. The Tyrant’s Daughter is about Laila and her family, recent refugees to the United States after her father’s death in their home nation. Their homeland is never defined, but her father was the leader (read: dictator) of the country. Killed in a coup, Laila and her family have no choice but to flee to safety, in America. 

Upon arrival, Laila is forced to confront the harsh reality of her father’s regime and her old way of life. All she knew of her father was that he was her dad, the man who loved her. But in America, she learned awful news of his many crimes against humanity and his brutal methods of enforcing his agenda. All of this is nearly too much for Laila to handle, especially when she meets a friend’s crippled, mutilated little sister, innocently injured while at school, at the hands of Laila’s father. Trying to assimilate into American culture is, obviously, extremely difficult, and one of the most striking scenes I recall from the novel is when Laila’s school has a bomb threat. The American students rejoice in the occasion, seeing it as a free day off, something that would never actually happen. For Laila though, the fear is all too real and familiar. 

After a while in the U.S., Laila discovers that her mother’s motives were not merely for survival - she’s working with the CIA to bring down the new ruler of her country, her uncle. Laila is sick of the betrayal and the lies, and vows to not let her parents rule her life any longer. 

I did love the novel and I particularly loved the contrast between life in Laila’s home country and life in the United States. I loved Laila’s commentary on how over-the-top things are in America. There was one scene in which she described how cereal in her home land was a luxury; in America, it’s something for everyone and there is an entire aisle devoted just to it at the grocery store. I would recommend this novel to girls, especially those interested in other cultures. Be warned, there was some bad language and mention of sex. 

Publication Date: February 11, 2014

Also Try: Under the Persimmon Tree, by Suzanne Fisher Staples; Sold, by Patricia McCormick; Saving Sky, by Diane Stanley

The Impossible Knife of Memory, by Laurie Halse Anderson

I loved The Impossible Knife of Memory, by Laurie Halse Anderson, from the very first page. The novel opens:

“It  started in detention. No surprise there, right? Detention was invented by the same idiots who dreamed up the time-out corner. Does being forced to sit in time-out ever make little kids stop putting cats in the dishwasher or drawing on white walls with purple marker? Of course not. It teaches them to be sneaky and guarantees that when they get to high school they’ll love detention because it’s a great place to sleep.”

Halse Anderson is just so adept at capturing the teenage psyche and perpetuating it in the voice of her characters. I loved this about her last books and she lived up to my expectation in this one!

The Impossible Knife of Memory is about Hayley Kincain, whose mother is dead and whose father has recently returned from deployment. Suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Hayley’s dad has a hard time settling down and keeping a job; for this reason, they set out on cross-country trucking jobs, and Hayley is very loosely homeschooled. However, during her senior year, her dad decides it’s time for her to have a normal life and go to a real high school. So, they move back to the town where her dad grew up, into his mother’s old house, and Hayley begins her “normal” life. But, there’s nothing normal about having a dad who is fired more than he works, screams from nightmares in the middle of the night, and wavers between euphoria and depression. Hayley can’t focus on her schoolwork because she’s so worried about her dad. While attempting to avoid making friends, Haley eventually finds someone who can help her deal with her dad's situation. Will she be able to cope before her dad gets even worse?

This was an awesome book, but there were some sex scenes and inappropriate language, so I'd only recommend it for mature readers.

Black Out, by Robison Wells

In Black Out, the United States (and the world) are under attack by a mastermind group of terrorists. However, these aren't your ordinary terrorists - they're teenagers, and they're citizens of the U.S. They've become infected with a virus called Erebus, which gives them superhuman strength and ability in a limited area. Band them together, and the things they can accomplish are overwhelming. Unfortunately, some innocent teens are infected with Erebus as well, and the U.S. military begins a mass inspection and quarantine of teens nationwide in an effort to stop the spread of the virus.

Aubrey Parsons is one of the innocent infected - her ability is that she can disappear. Up until now, it's seemed cool because she can steal anything she wants from local stores, but when it lands her a military captive, being trained for active duty, its repercussions become daunting.

Aubrey and her childhood friend soon find themselves caught up with a group of "Lambdas" - that's what they call those infected - who may or may not have the nation's best interests at heart. Will they be able to stop them?

I really liked how the two different facets of the plot were so woven together. There were the "good" Lambdas (Aubrey, Jack) and then the "bad" Lambdas (Laura, Alec, Dan). Their stories intersected in a really interesting way. There was one aspect of the novel that frustrated me, though. There were random posts, they looked like something from a blog or wiki, throughout the novel. They were (seemingly) totally disconnected to the plot and didn't make any sense to me - it really bothered me. But, when I finally figured out what they actually were it made perfect sense and was an awesome idea!! I do feel kind of dumb that I didn't figure it out sooner...maybe I wasn't paying enough attention.


Also Try: Shatter Me, by Tahereh Mafi; Witch and Wizard, by James Patterson; Inhuman, by Kat Falls