I've heard mixed reviews of Westerfeld's Uglies and Leviathan series, and have some issues with YA contemporary stories in general. However, I was intrigued because I love books that discuss the publishing industry, and this one has the added component of containing a story within a story. This is semi-paranormal Young Adult and features our main character Darcy Patel, a high school senior who has landed a publishing contract for her teen novel Afterworlds. In lieu of college, she heads to New York City to pursue her dream of becoming a writer.
From Goodreads:
Told in alternating chapters is Darcy's novel, a suspenseful thriller about Lizzie, a teen who slips into the 'Afterworld' to survive a terrorist attack. But the Afterworld is a place between the living and the dead and as Lizzie drifts between our world and that of the Afterworld, she discovers that many unsolved - and terrifying - stories need to be reconciled. And when a new threat resurfaces, Lizzie learns her special gifts may not be enough to protect those she loves and cares about most.
I enjoyed the NYC component, the agent and editing process, the networking events where Darcy meets fellow debut and seasoned authors alike, and how social media ties into the marketing scheme to promote a novel. I loved the book tour sections. I learned the term "flap monkey"- which is a person who helps move a signing line along by taking books and tucking flaps into title pages for the signature. A media escort from the airport and around town is immensely helpful. I also learned the significance and difference between a full and half title page. I wonder how much of this section was gleaned from Westerfeld's own experiences, and I'd imagine quite a bit. There are also cat references, which I believe should receive bonus points in any book.
I appreciated that Darcy was from India, even though cultural references were a bit sparse except for references to her parent's Hindu religion in aspects of Afterworlds, namely Yamaraj. Darcy felt very real to me with her insecurities- she grappled with feeling like a "real author", and expected to be exposed as a fraud at any moment. She also struggles with the difficulty a lot of writers face when nailing an ending, and how to balance editor and publisher suggestions with your own creative integrity.
As much as I enjoyed the aforementioned, I found a good bit of the book fraught with problems. We have bad romantic dialogue...."I didn't tell him his touch was electric." Of course you didn't sweetheart, because it's dumb. We also have the cliche sparks, heat, and fire from said encounter. These parts are "written" by Darcy who is 18, so perhaps this should be forgiven? Maybe Westerfeld is just trying to explain things from a young girl's perspective. Unfortunately, this is also problematic. Westerfeld's writing of women in this novel just felt a little clunky, particularly in thoughts and descriptions. However, he did have some good one-liners.
Also, Lizzie in Afterworlds has just gone through a traumatizing terror attack where dozens of people die. I realize teenagers are extremely resilient, but she barely seems upset, and certainly doesn't suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. She carries on with life (albeit changed into a psychopomp-you'll have to read the book to find out what that is! Spoiler-free review after all:-). No visions, nightmarish thoughts, troubled internal dialogue. I've never experienced trauma but this seemed highly unrealistic and very strange.
Lastly, Darcy's existence in New York City is highly unrealistic. There is a joke that she will run out of money early but caution is thrown to the wind for an exorbitant rental (this IS definitely realistic), and is supposedly going to subsist on a $17-per-day budget eating ramen noodles. Umm, what?? Since this novel doesn't span three years I suppose this plot point didn't have to be worked out (unless this turns into a series).
While I enjoyed many aspects, the problems brought this down to three stars. I think people will enjoy this as a fast-paced informative read about certain parts of publishing, if they can cast a blind eye to some writing flaws. The book benefited from the story within a story as well, even though I don't think each could have stood alone.
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