Title: The Half Life of Molly Pierce
Author: Katrina Leno
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: July 8, 2014
Rating: 2/5
Author: Katrina Leno
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: July 8, 2014
Rating: 2/5
Cover Impressions: I love the shade of blue that they used for the font, but the cover is not nearly as interesting or compelling as it could have been. I would have liked to see something that fit better with the subject matter.
The Gist: For all of her seventeen years, Molly feels like she’s missed bits and pieces of her life. Now, she’s figuring out why. Now, she’s remembering her own secrets. And in doing so, Molly uncovers the separate life she seems to have led…and the love that she can’t let go.
The Half Life of Molly Pierce is a suspenseful, evocative psychological mystery about uncovering the secrets of our pasts, facing the unknowns of our futures, and accepting our whole selves.
Review:
I so wanted to love this book. There are elements that are fantastic and fascinating - but I can't talk about them without filling the review with spoilers. Sooooooo I will put a Spoilerific section at the end.
First off, things that didn't work: The author has a strange writing style. A lot of the narration takes place in Molly's head - which is itself a hard place to be as she fixates on every little embarrassing action and berates herself for it internally. This is interrupted by strange, choppy dialogue - usually with her two friends who were beyond dull and annoying. They had no personality to them (beyond the girl, whose name escapes me, texting non-stop and getting irritatingly pissy whenever Molly didn't respond) and the conversations were typical of how authors who have never spent time around teenagers, seem to think teenagers speak.
There was a great deal of "I know what is going on but I can't tell you" throughout the first half of this novel. And when I say great deal, I mean EVERY CHARACTER KNEW! Even down to the students and staff at school and NOBODY will tell Molly anything! Worse than that, Molly doesn't seem to care all that much. The entire plot is based around her finding out what goes on during her missing time, but she doesn't seem the least bit driven to discover the answers.
What worked: The whole love interest plot line was unique as it happens in reverse. We discover that they are in love, and then work backwards to find out how it all happened. There isn't a whole lot of chemistry between Molly and Sader, but the mystery at least keeps it interesting. This occurs through flashbacks that work from the present time, back to when Molly started losing track of time. The time jumping works to keep the plot moving and, frankly, those parts were way more interesting than watching Molly in the present.
SPOILERS SECTION BELOW:
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You sure you want to see this?
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Ok, here we go.
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Molly has a dissociative identity disorder. Specifically, she has one alter named Mabel who has been with her for most of her life and who is able to take over Molly's body and live her own life. This particular point was fairly easy to guess, but once Mabel is revealed, I was really interested in the book. I don't know much about this disorder (other than watching and loving United States of Tara), so the subject matter was fascinating. I loved watching how Mabel was different from Molly and how she managed to keep herself hidden from Molly for so long.
In the end, however, Mabel simply fades away and allows Molly to live her life. This felt incredibly unrealistic. I very much doubt that most people with dissociative identity disorder are able to simply will their alter into submission and go on with their life as if it never happened. Beyond this, Molly was B-O-R-I-N-G, I would have been much happier if the novel had gone the less predictable route of having Mabel take over and Molly become the alter. Especially if this meant there would be a struggle for control - now THAT would be fun to read.
The Gist: For all of her seventeen years, Molly feels like she’s missed bits and pieces of her life. Now, she’s figuring out why. Now, she’s remembering her own secrets. And in doing so, Molly uncovers the separate life she seems to have led…and the love that she can’t let go.
The Half Life of Molly Pierce is a suspenseful, evocative psychological mystery about uncovering the secrets of our pasts, facing the unknowns of our futures, and accepting our whole selves.
Review:
I so wanted to love this book. There are elements that are fantastic and fascinating - but I can't talk about them without filling the review with spoilers. Sooooooo I will put a Spoilerific section at the end.
First off, things that didn't work: The author has a strange writing style. A lot of the narration takes place in Molly's head - which is itself a hard place to be as she fixates on every little embarrassing action and berates herself for it internally. This is interrupted by strange, choppy dialogue - usually with her two friends who were beyond dull and annoying. They had no personality to them (beyond the girl, whose name escapes me, texting non-stop and getting irritatingly pissy whenever Molly didn't respond) and the conversations were typical of how authors who have never spent time around teenagers, seem to think teenagers speak.
There was a great deal of "I know what is going on but I can't tell you" throughout the first half of this novel. And when I say great deal, I mean EVERY CHARACTER KNEW! Even down to the students and staff at school and NOBODY will tell Molly anything! Worse than that, Molly doesn't seem to care all that much. The entire plot is based around her finding out what goes on during her missing time, but she doesn't seem the least bit driven to discover the answers.
What worked: The whole love interest plot line was unique as it happens in reverse. We discover that they are in love, and then work backwards to find out how it all happened. There isn't a whole lot of chemistry between Molly and Sader, but the mystery at least keeps it interesting. This occurs through flashbacks that work from the present time, back to when Molly started losing track of time. The time jumping works to keep the plot moving and, frankly, those parts were way more interesting than watching Molly in the present.
SPOILERS SECTION BELOW:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
You sure you want to see this?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Ok, here we go.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Molly has a dissociative identity disorder. Specifically, she has one alter named Mabel who has been with her for most of her life and who is able to take over Molly's body and live her own life. This particular point was fairly easy to guess, but once Mabel is revealed, I was really interested in the book. I don't know much about this disorder (other than watching and loving United States of Tara), so the subject matter was fascinating. I loved watching how Mabel was different from Molly and how she managed to keep herself hidden from Molly for so long.
In the end, however, Mabel simply fades away and allows Molly to live her life. This felt incredibly unrealistic. I very much doubt that most people with dissociative identity disorder are able to simply will their alter into submission and go on with their life as if it never happened. Beyond this, Molly was B-O-R-I-N-G, I would have been much happier if the novel had gone the less predictable route of having Mabel take over and Molly become the alter. Especially if this meant there would be a struggle for control - now THAT would be fun to read.
Bottom Line: The Half Life of Molly Pierce is based on a really fascinating premise, but the execution is not nearly as strong as it could have been.
Teaching/Parental Notes:
Age:13 and up
Sex: Kissing, Sex alluded to but not shown
Violence: Death by motorcycle accident, attempted suicide
Inappropriate Language: Fuck, Jesus, Asshole, Shit, Bitch
Substance Use/Abuse: Underage Drinking
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