Review: Torn deals w/lots of topics in this YA Contemporary
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 28, 2013
Torn is a Young Adult Contemporary story, told in the first-person by fourteen year old, Krista. Thrown into a new school and with new friends, she finds herself mixed up very quickly in a world of sex, drugs and lots of questions about her own identity. Amber Lehman's writing is clear and easy to read but with some heavy subject matter, making Torn appropriate for ages 17 and up. With topics of rape, incest, sexual abuse, statutory rape, drug use and sex - one wonders what wasn't touched on in Torn.What I liked:The cover art. It's spot on with contemporary and will appeal to young adults.Well written, the plot moved along, easy to follow, with appropriate dialogue for teenagers. I felt like as I was reading Torn, I was there with Krista. Some of the story seemed over the top with Brandon's frivolous spending but we did see a glimpse into his background and where the money ultimately comes from.In the end, this is a book that will definitely make you think. There's a lot of subject matters - some taboo - that are addressed in Torn. Don't expect to finish the book and then not be thinking about it afterwards.What I didn't connect with:I would have liked to have seen more consistency with the characters and with the story. There were several plots that seemed to drop away at the end of a chapter and those items were never discussed again. A simple sentence or two, to remind us they hadn't been forgotten would have been sufficient for the reader.I was disappointed to read that every character that finds themselves questioning their sexuality, in the end decides that going for the opposite sex is what they're truly after. Krista's best friend from the beginning, Brandon, is gay. He's accepted he's gay, he's out, and then by the end of the book he's decided that he's bisexual instead. I had trouble grasping this dramatic change from the character. I felt like he was a well-written and three dimensional character but his actions in the final chapter didn't fit for me.The adults in the novel frustrated me, especially Daemon. I don't care if a guy is a twenty-eight year old virgin. At no point, should he have let Krista on top of him. In fact, the moment he realized she had a crush on him, he should have been able to deal with the discussion and put an end to it.