The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Students at school have heard me say many times, I’m sold by great cover art. You may not be able to judge a book by the cover, but it sure can convince me to read it. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer sold me through cover art alone. The story didn’t disappoint.

When they asked the ouija board how Rachel would die, the board spelled out M-A-R-A. Sixth months later Mara is the only survivor of a building collapse, her best friend Rachel, their friend Jude and his sister Claire dead in the rubble. Mara wakes form a coma but remembers nothing of that night.  What was the Tamerlane? Why had they gone there? But that is only the beginning. Mara begins to hallucinate. She sees her dead friends in mirrors. After changing schools to avoid the stressful memories of her dead friends, Mara’s hallucinations follow her. The first day of classes at her new school, she experiences the collapse of the classroom including falling face first and bloodying her nose in front of a room full of strangers. She then discovers it is a fresh round of horror produced by her own mind. Mara is willing to accept the diagnosis of these images as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder until they start meshing with physical reality. After imagining a choking accident for a brutally cruel teacher, the teacher dies of anaphylactic shock – just as she has imagined. Mara begins to question herself. She begins to accept the possibility that she killed her best friend. Somehow she must be causing the violence. As Mara struggles with her personal demons, real or imagined, Noah enters her life. Secretive and bound to break her heart, Mara just can’t resist his charms.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is a thriller with a touch of romance. It will have you looking over your shoulder in the dark and holding your breath. The romantic element is hot and sultry enough to catch the attention of plenty of romantic hearts but tame enough to happily live in any high school library. Additionally, the romantic element buoys the story. In the hands of a different author, the story of a girl’s hallucinations about her dead best friend and questions of her own guilt could be brutal and tragic. But here it is thrilling, surprising and compelling. Since Mara narrates her own story, realities are revealed as she learns them keeping the reader guessing and wondering along with her. 

If you enjoy stories that are unpredictable, read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. One of the most compelling parts of Mara Dyer’s story is its capacity to keep the reader off balance. Every time it appears the story will slide into familiar predictable patterns, it shifts just enough to turn the pages a little faster. If you prefer stories that contain both mystery and romance, read this. If you like your romance with a touch of heart racing intensity but without the R rating, read about Mara Dyer. Whatever your preference, read it. You won’t be disappointed.

Those That Wake by Jesse Karp

Mal is a fighter not just with his fists, but with all he has against what life throws at him: an abusive mother and a string of foster parents. Mal has learned endurance. Laura appears to be set for success: her loving family, grade point average, AP class schedule and extensive volunteerism appear to have her poised to attend one of the best colleges. They have nothing in common, until….. Laura is arrested by homeland security for “harassing” her parents who now have no memory of her. Mal’s brother goes missing and Mal is attacked while investigating the trail. Both wake up together with three others in a strange, confined space.  

As events unfold everything seems to hinge on the mysterious building hiding in plain sight in Midtown Manhattan. Unless someone physically points it out, the building is beyond view almost as if one forgot to notice it. The building houses an equally mysterious man in a suit who sends runners and secret packages out into the city. On the 32 floor of this building is an impossibly large room that contains nothing but doors. Doors that lead inexplicably into different places: the boiler room in a basement, a hospital hallway, doors that all seem to lead into buildings and places not physically connected to this one. Ever-present in this building is the stomach churning fear, especially of the top floor. What lies there? What is the mystery of this building and this man? What have they done to Laura’s family and Mal’s brother? Why is everything (cell phones, mirrors, tables) breaking around Laura and Mal? Is there a connection to the dome looming high in everyone’s vision, a remnant of the Big Black power failure?

Those That Wake is part of the growing collection of books that look into the future and show us a possible truth. Those That Wake uses the experiences of Laura and Mal to look at the growth and power of corporate marketing schemes, the power of technology to dull us to everything around us, and what makes us human. With some dramatic sequences, and air of mystery readers will be propelled along. The question of whether Mal and Laura can survive is compelling. The question of who will be turned against them next and who is the biggest threat is equally compelling. The question readers will be left to contemplate is this: “What’s a human life really worth beyond the capacity to be a consumer?”  

Related Titles Worth Considering:

If you liked the dual nature of Those That Wake, as it alternated between Mal and Laura in a dystopia where technology bends reality into the shape of something far more sinister, you may want to try Incarceron by Catherine Fisher.

If you like the commentary on technology, corporations, consumerism and their invasiveness in modern life, you may want to try Little Brother by Cory Doctorow and Feed by M.T. Anderson.