Review: Gone by Lisa McMann

Gone by Lisa McMann (November 2010, Simon & Schuster Children's Books, ISBN: 0857070401)

Notes: Review contains some spoilers for Wake and Fade.

Review: Gone is the final part of the trilogy which began with Wake and carried on with Fade. Based on the information she received in Fade, lead character Janie has to make a decision which boils down to: leave everyone behind and live in isolation so she cannot enter anyone's dreams or stay with Cabel whom she loves and become crippled and blind in not many years time.

At the beginning of Gone, Janie is on vacation with Cabel and his family. They are recovering from the repercussions of the events in Fade but Janie is suddenly and urgently called home when her best friend leaves her voice-mail messages saying that Janie's alcoholic mum has had to go to hospital.

Things aren't quite what they seem though and it's not Janie's mum who is ill but a stranger to Janie but one who ultimately, will reveal the right path that Janie should follow.

There's no investigation as such like in Fade, this time it's all about Janie and what she can and should do about her life. It's a sad tale, whatever Janie chooses, but Janie will make the best of her choice and it's also probably best that readers leave the story where we do, whilst Janie is young. This has been an interesting trilogy with an unusual "gift" for a main character; each book has had a different theme and in Gone, Janie finally gets to shake off some of the burdens she should not have been carrying. If you've not read this series yet, do start with Wake so you can follow Janie's character arc. I loved the writing style of these books, present tense with frequent paragraphs of almost free verse at times, it's so immediate and pulls you in just like the dreams suck Janie in.

I liked Ms McMann's Cryer's Cross/The Missing as well and look forward to her next YA novel.