Only Ever Always

May 15, 2013
This odd, convoluted fable feels incomplete and isn't an easy read, but its haunting imagery has staying power. Claire's first treasure was the music box Uncle Charlie gave her. When he's badly injured in a car accident he's unlikely to survive, Claire retreats into a world that mirrors her own. Everything and everyone in this looking-glass world is broken, including the music box that Clara, Claire's counterpart, buys with an IOU. Here, Claire escapes and eventually comes to terms with violent mortality. Its dwellings, like dollhouses, lack walls; denizens buy and sell broken detritus in a city broken in half by a wild, widening river. The powerful conceit almost sustains the novel but can't replace what's missing: characters readers care about. Readers never meet Charlie or see him interact with Claire, so what his loss means to her remains unclear, blunting the impact of her fugue. Readers aren't allowed to find their bearings in Claire's world before they're plunged into Clara's broken one (populated with far more vivid characters). The style clamors for readers' attention--conceptual quirks replace chapters; narration switches among first, second and third person--further distancing them from the tale being spun. Whether readers find it brilliantly original or obscurely self-indulgent, Russon's risk-taking should spark the best kind of literary debate. (author's note) (Fiction. 12 & up)

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October 1, 2013

Gr 8 Up-After 13-year-old Claire receives the news that her beloved Uncle Charlie is in the hospital, she retreats into sleep and the escape of her dreams. Clara lives in a shadowy, dystopian reflection of this world, alone but for a friend who cares for her and her romantic relationship with a street-savvy boy. Both girls are dealt harsh blows that each must face in order to move on. They are connected by a music box that allows them to interact with each other and the separate realms they inhabit. This fantasy novel is imaginative, thought-provoking, and unique. The story switches back and forth between the two protagonists, keeping the plot moving and giving readers a chance to see how their stories respond to each other's. As Clara struggles to survive in her depleted world, Claire is working through her emotions and moving into young adulthood, losing her innocence and gaining more knowledge of herself. Clara is the vehicle she uses to do so, but Clara is a well-formed character in her own right. The viewpoint switches are abrupt but the connections between the girls' lives become clearer as the book continues. Overall this novel is distinctive and refreshing.-Elizabeth Jakubowski, formerly at Watervliet Public Library, NY

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2014
While waiting to hear whether her uncle will survive an accident, Claire dreams of an alternate broken and predatory world linked to her own by a stray dog and a music box. The haunting, David Almondesque imagery and complex layers of meaning will reward thoughtful readers, but the plotting isn't cohesive.

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