Callie and her friends Talia and Cleo have always spent the summer in a small town on the North Carolina beach. This summer, Cleo has brought a friend -- quiet, haunted Polly -- along with her. And she's also brought a grand idea: she wants to spend the summer making herself invisible. She's been reading secret webpages and YouTube videos about the process and she's convinced it will work.
Callie and Talia aren't so certain, but it's an annual tradition that the girls have a summmer project to work on together and this one is as good as any. Callie knows it won't work, but what is the harm in playing along? To her surprise, though, it does work. The girls gain the ability to make themselves disappear at will, and it opens up a whole new world for them. When things get tough because of nagging parents, a scary guy, a violent boyfriend, or just the stress of being an adolescent girl, who wouldn't enjoy the ability to simply disappear? But as the girls grow accustomed to using their new superpower, they discover its addictive nature and some scary side effects. Eventually the danger of continuing to make themselves invisible becomes too great. They need to reverse the process and give up their power -- but can they?
An original, albeit heavy-handed, exploration of the struggle of young women becoming comfortable in their bodies. The girls are interesting and uniquely distinct, but thinly drawn and I found myself frustrated by how little we explored their motivations for disappearing. The overall idea and its exploration of both the male and the parental gaze was interesting and thought-provoking though, and that mae it a worthy read. Definitely, one of the more memorable books I have read.
No comments:
Post a Comment