Review: Not your typical YA
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 02 27, 2012
There is a certain sense of appropriateness for the main character's name to be Alice, as we have definitely gone down the rabbit hole in this one. The William Faulkner-esque journey down the river is certainly not mainstream, but will appeal to those with more literary tastes.The reader is dropped in the middle of the story, with this family journeying down the river. The narrative flashes between them and some of the river communities, all with different agendas. The backgrounds of the characters, their individual stories, are shrouded in mystery, and ultimately it is their connections to one another that are important.The story swaps back and forth between the dystopian river world to a family on a tour bus style vacation. Same characters, but a different world. While at times confusing, it does make for an interesting read.I was not very convinced by the romance, however, between Alice and Daniel. There are a few lingering glances and touching, but for their relationship to develop to where it is at the end of the story, there must have been some other things going on off-camera.