MY INVENTED LIFE is a spunky and witty GLBTQ book that deals with the fluidity of sexual identity, and the complexities of placing labels on people. The fantastic narrative voice and the unique premise will make this a delightful read for nearly anyone.
Roz is a feisty girl with a good blend of sass, passion, and self-delusions. Her witty, laugh-out-loud narrationâalways direct, never dully over-eloquentâwill draw you into the story even if you may cringe at some of her behavior and want to shake some insight into her.
Because MY INVENTED LIFE is so energetic and fast-paced, it occasionally runs the risk of getting annoying. Every once in a while I felt like I had gotten too much of Roz's snarky mentality, and her secret desiresâher invented lifeâsometimes gets repetitive, in an âokay we get it alreadyâ way. Similarly, I had trouble understand the sisterly dynamic between Roz and Eva. I felt that Roz and Eva's relationshipâparticularly Roz's almost grovel-like approach to her sisterâpinged around in all directions in a way that jarred me and made me the slightest bit skeptical of the believability of their relationship.
That being said, MY INVENTED LIFE is a fresh approach to homosexuality. In this story, the characters' sexual orientations are rather fluid, defying categorization. This is admirable because labels regarding sexual orientation are hardly ever direct in real life: there is a huge amount of gray area between heterosexuality and homosexuality, an area that many people unknowingly dwell in. I thought that MY INVENTED LIFE did an exceptional job of capturing the complexities of labels; readers will think twice about when it means to assign people to strict categories.
All in all, readers can take MY INVENTED LIFE at two levels. It can be read as a witty romp through the intertwined lives of theater geeks, or one can consider the usage and flexibility of homosexuality in the story. Either way, it makes for a satisfying read without being offensive to any kind of readers.
Roz is a feisty girl with a good blend of sass, passion, and self-delusions. Her witty, laugh-out-loud narrationâalways direct, never dully over-eloquentâwill draw you into the story even if you may cringe at some of her behavior and want to shake some insight into her.
Because MY INVENTED LIFE is so energetic and fast-paced, it occasionally runs the risk of getting annoying. Every once in a while I felt like I had gotten too much of Roz's snarky mentality, and her secret desiresâher invented lifeâsometimes gets repetitive, in an âokay we get it alreadyâ way. Similarly, I had trouble understand the sisterly dynamic between Roz and Eva. I felt that Roz and Eva's relationshipâparticularly Roz's almost grovel-like approach to her sisterâpinged around in all directions in a way that jarred me and made me the slightest bit skeptical of the believability of their relationship.
That being said, MY INVENTED LIFE is a fresh approach to homosexuality. In this story, the characters' sexual orientations are rather fluid, defying categorization. This is admirable because labels regarding sexual orientation are hardly ever direct in real life: there is a huge amount of gray area between heterosexuality and homosexuality, an area that many people unknowingly dwell in. I thought that MY INVENTED LIFE did an exceptional job of capturing the complexities of labels; readers will think twice about when it means to assign people to strict categories.
All in all, readers can take MY INVENTED LIFE at two levels. It can be read as a witty romp through the intertwined lives of theater geeks, or one can consider the usage and flexibility of homosexuality in the story. Either way, it makes for a satisfying read without being offensive to any kind of readers.
Reviewed by Marta Morrison for TeensReadToo.com
Roz and Eva are sisters. Eva is a senior in high school. She is a cheerleader, a talented thespian, and Roz thinks she is perfect. Roz is a junior and she and Eva are super-close sisters.
Then Eva suddenly kicks Roz completely out of her life. Roz doesn't know why and she is determined to find out. She believes that Eva has a big secret and she does hilarious things to find out what it is.
MY INVENTED LIFE addresses many areas of teen life. Both Eva and Roz explore their sexuality. They compete for the same friends and Roz figures out how self-control is a trait that she needs to work on.
I enjoyed the humor and the sweetness of this book and think many will enjoy it.
Roz and Eva are sisters. Eva is a senior in high school. She is a cheerleader, a talented thespian, and Roz thinks she is perfect. Roz is a junior and she and Eva are super-close sisters.
Then Eva suddenly kicks Roz completely out of her life. Roz doesn't know why and she is determined to find out. She believes that Eva has a big secret and she does hilarious things to find out what it is.
MY INVENTED LIFE addresses many areas of teen life. Both Eva and Roz explore their sexuality. They compete for the same friends and Roz figures out how self-control is a trait that she needs to work on.
I enjoyed the humor and the sweetness of this book and think many will enjoy it.
