BOOK REVIEW: Strangelets by Michelle Gagnon

My book club recently read Strangelets, which was an interesting story from the point of view of three teenagers facing the end of their lives. An unexpected twist leads them to a hospital ward and a terrifying quest, instead of the afterlife.

WHAT I LIKED: There were three distinct voices telling the story: Anat, Sophie, and Declan. As each character told his or her story, the reader would gain little tidbits of information about the mystery of why they ended up in the hospital ward, and why they were being chased by "bears." Moreover, it was easy to dislike Anat from the perspective of Sophie or Declan, but during Anat's chapters, her voice helped the reader sympathize with her predicament.

In addition, it was refreshing to see a story line that kept the reader asking, "Why did that just happen?" Putting clues together little by little, and forcing the characters to go on a quest, made the conclusion of the novel even more impressive.

The location and time period of the novel helped establish the science fiction elements. We know these characters should be dead, but they aren't. And, the reader knows that when the characters "died," American was not in an apocalyptic state. So, how did Anat, Declan, and Sophie end up in post-apocalyptic America? It's the driving question for the novel, and will be developed and revised as the story line progresses.

WHAT I DISLIKED: The characters of Yosh and Zain needed more development to make me want to care about them. Yes, they were integral to the story, and provided valuable insight for the mystery, but I wanted to empathize with them.

Also, the ending of the story seemed to wrap up a little too well for Sophie and Declan.

RATED: 4 Stars

The text kept my attention, and I wanted to know more about the character's and their predicament as the novel progressed.

NOTE: This is also posted on Goodreads. Additionally, I bought and paid for the book on my own, and did not receive any compensation for this review.