About the Book
-
Author:
- Ally Condie
- Genres:
- Contemporary
- Magical Realism
Cover Story: Lonely Light
BFF Charm: Let Me Love You
Talky Talk: Consistently Condie
Bonus Factors: Loyal Pet, Tasty Business, Small Town
Factor: Mental Illness
Anti-Bonus Factor: Bullying
Relationship Status: Not The Only One
Cover Story: Lonely Light
That one light in July’s bedroom window on an otherwise dark and empty street sums up the mood of this story precisely.
The Deal:
July Fielding (yes, like the month – it’s a long story) has been struggling with what she calls “the cold lonely” all her life, but she thought she had it under control. She was seeing a therapist. She had parents, a brother, a group of friends on her high school track team, a boyfriend, and a cat named Yolo (short for “You only live once”). That was before everybody, people and animals, vanished overnight, leaving her the only living creature in town … or is she? Because something or someone is leaving clues for her, mementos of her last happy summer, along with three repeated words: GET TH3M BACK.
BFF Charm: Let Me Love You
July has reached a state that introverts, especially those with mental health issues, know all too well. She’s desperately lonely and still can’t deal with people. She spends her days searching the empty town for anyone she can talk to, but when she hears a noise, her instinct is to run away. Memories of her old life, as a patient foil to her ambitious co-captain Syd and protective mentor to freshman Ella, make it clear that she was once a great friend. She could still be one, if only she – and whatever force emptied the town – would only give her the chance.
Swoonworthy Scale: 3
We never find out much about July’s boyfriend Sam except that he works in an ice cream parlor, he goes to college, and she considers him a “good boy” (although his actions in the later chapters made me question that label a few times, and not just because he’s in college and she’s in high school).
Talky Talk: Consistently Condie
Condie’s style is always her own, whatever genre or age group she’s writing for: short chapters, simple words, and startling flashes of poetry (“the unbreathing night”) that will stay in your mind long after you’ve read them. Sometimes
she drops
into line breaks
during moments of deep emotion. Since July is a runner, you can almost hear her gasping out her story between racing steps.
Bonus Factor: Loyal Pet
July’s black cat Yolo is the only companion she has left. He’s too lazy to finish a meow, so he says meh instead. He hates being carried and will curl up on her lap if – and only if – he feels like it. By her own admission, she prefers him to most people.
Bonus Factor: Tasty Business
If being a novelist doesn’t work out, Condie can always write copy for restaurants. Just kidding. The menu for Verity Ice Cream does sound delicious, though: Peaches and Cream, Cinnamon Crunch, Mudslide … okay, maybe not that last one.
Bonus Factor: Small Town
July has a complex relationship with Lithia, her hometown, before and after the Vanishing. She’s both proud and embarrassed of her low-budget school, resentful and fascinated with the wealthy college students passing through. She loves the rituals that hold her group together, even if they exclude others. It’s generic enough to be any small town in North America, yet still specific enough to feel believable.
Factor: Mental Illness
There may or may not be a supernatural element to this story, but that doesn’t make it a fairy tale. July’s depression is very real. There is no happily-ever-after. Cautiously hopeful is enough for now.
Anti-Bonus Factor: Bullying
There was some nasty jealousy among July’s teammates, which she tried to mediate before getting tangled up in it herself. Her reaction might sound disproportionate to some – breakups and hazing rituals are not the end of the world – but, for a depressed teenager, that’s exactly how they feel. Condie doesn’t minimize the pain.
Relationship Status: Not The Only One
Dear Book, you understand what it’s like to be alone, and it made me feel less so. I hope you do the same for many more readers.
Literary Matchmaking
Matched by Ally Condie brings Condie’s signature style to a dystopian setting.
We Are Okay by Nina LaCour takes a similar compassionate approach to mental illness and solitude.
The Loneliest Girl In The Universe by Lauren James starts with the same premise, but in space – and with added suspense.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received no compensation for this review. The Only Girl in Town will be available Sept. 19.
I did not care for the ending.