June 19, 2017
Keira Braidwood’s prom night is a disaster: Jacques, the snide French exchange student she’s infatuated with, mocks her and hooks up with another girl at the dance. But this drama pales next to the attempted suicide of her younger brother, Levi, the next morning, after which he is diagnosed with autism and admitted to a treatment center. Struggling with guilt that she and Levi, once inseparable, have grown apart, Keira invites him to accompany her to Paris: “Maybe if sees the world, sees everything it has to offer in a brand-new corner of it, he’ll want to stay in it.” Keira’s romantic observations of Paris, countered by Levi’s cynicism, and their conversations bring their personalities into focus in Christiansen’s debut novel. But despite Keira’s obvious concern for her brother, she often comes across as self-centered (“How could he want to leave me?” she wonders after the suicide attempt), and the siblings being allowed to travel to France on their own after so much upheaval defies believability, despite some late-in-the-novel revelations. Ages 12–up. Agent: Rebecca Podos, Rees Literary.
April 15, 2017
A neurotypical teen dreams of Paris and rekindling her bond with her autistic brother in Christiansen's debut.White 18-year-old Keira has always fantasized about seeing Paris. Things at home aren't exactly perfect--although she loves her stepfather of six years, her relationship with her mother is rocky, and she has been pushing away from her autistic 16-year-old brother, Levi. When Levi attempts suicide and is hospitalized, Keira is shocked and devastated to discover she knows so little about her brother. She hatches a plan that, to her surprise, is received well by almost everyone: she and Levi can explore Paris together, thanks to her savings and self-taught French. Their journey is a mix of implausible highs for Keira (steaming-fresh pastries daily made specially for them at a local patisserie, sneaking backstage to see an actor after an English-language production of Les Mis, and a fling with a British musician) and predictable lows for both siblings (Levi stops taking his medication and goes missing in an overblown finale). Extensive descriptions of locations and food will drag for all but those with the same level of Parisian passion as the protagonist. Keira's first-person narration feels repetitive and unpolished, and her speculations about Levi's personality and experience living with disability ring false, as she makes little effort to actually get to know him. Keira has little interest in accommodating her brother's needs, and Levi's disabilities are problematically used as plot devices that contribute solely to Keira's character growth. A troubling, self-indulgent "acceptance" narrative that lacks authenticity and nuance. (Fiction. 14-17)
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June 1, 2017
Gr 7 Up-High school senior Keira is obsessed with all things French, including cute exchange student Jacques, who unexpectedly agrees to go with her to prom. He turns out to be a cad, mocking Keira's (somewhat on the nose) Marie Antoinette get-up and judging her 16-year-old brother Levi when he becomes agitated during pre-dance photos and accidentally knocks Keira down. This humiliation is eclipsed later that evening when Levi attempts suicide. After his release from a mental health facility, Keira decides that traveling together to Paris is the only way to bring back the Levi she loves and understands. Levi has episodes of psychosis, and Keira believes that he might be on the autism spectrum. Given that Keira's mom tends to alternately slut-shame, blame, and ignore her daughter, it seems far-fetched that she would agree to her as chaperone, even with safeguards in place, but a brother/sister adventure to France does set up a premise with teen appeal. The trip is not the cure-all that the protagonist envisions, but it does bring the siblings closer. Though Levi can be difficult, Keira also sees flashes of her smartly funny, history-loving brother. They make new friends, including a brother and sister running a delectable but failing patisserie, and a dreamy Scottish bass player named Gable. Yet despite hints that her own anxious and avoidant tendencies may need addressing, Keira continues to underestimate the power of illness, until a moment of crisis pushes her to seek the support she needs. This work is based on the author's own experiences with her brother. A strength of this book is how the characters are not defined solely by their diagnoses. VERDICT With its well-drawn central relationship and elements of humor and romance, this is a quick and relatable read.-Miriam DesHarnais, Towson University, MD
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