A review by stollhofen
Miles from Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams
3.0
I was excited to read Miles From Ordinary because it was so short and had such a frighteningly beautiful cover. If I had read the back, however, I would've seen that this is technically a middle-grade novel. Oh well!
I absolutely loved how climactic each chapter was. By the end it was pretty redundant and I knew something tragic would happen, but the predictability didn't take away from the overall gloom-and-doom of previous chapters. Most authors would lose suspense by including flashbacks but Carol Lynch Williams seamlessly incorporated them into dialogue and internal monologues. By adding typical "horror-film" elements like never-opened rooms, blood, dead animals, etc. the novel easily became one of the scariest I've read in quite a while.
Mental illness is an incredibly scary thing for a 13-year-old to witness and live with, a concept Williams excellently portrayed through Lacey. While I didn't really connect to her as a character I appreciated how her own mentality was degraded and shaped by her mother's constant paranoia. Few YA novels show how mental illness can negatively impact a family's mental and social health as well as Miles From Ordinary did. I loved how the the typical "ghost" horror element was also a metaphor for haunting memories and an unwillingness to forgive and forget the past.
I was really disappointed with the ending of the novel. I found it really cheesy and predictable compared to the previous elements. I would've liked a few more chapters to wrap up the day and give a sense of closure for Lacey's character. I also think Williams should have considered writing the novel with the final chapters being the prologue, playing the day in reverse, or perhaps a reflection of how Lacey's life turned out in the next few years and how she struggled to put herself back together.
I absolutely loved how climactic each chapter was. By the end it was pretty redundant and I knew something tragic would happen, but the predictability didn't take away from the overall gloom-and-doom of previous chapters. Most authors would lose suspense by including flashbacks but Carol Lynch Williams seamlessly incorporated them into dialogue and internal monologues. By adding typical "horror-film" elements like never-opened rooms, blood, dead animals, etc. the novel easily became one of the scariest I've read in quite a while.
Mental illness is an incredibly scary thing for a 13-year-old to witness and live with, a concept Williams excellently portrayed through Lacey. While I didn't really connect to her as a character I appreciated how her own mentality was degraded and shaped by her mother's constant paranoia. Few YA novels show how mental illness can negatively impact a family's mental and social health as well as Miles From Ordinary did. I loved how the the typical "ghost" horror element was also a metaphor for haunting memories and an unwillingness to forgive and forget the past.
I was really disappointed with the ending of the novel. I found it really cheesy and predictable compared to the previous elements. I would've liked a few more chapters to wrap up the day and give a sense of closure for Lacey's character. I also think Williams should have considered writing the novel with the final chapters being the prologue, playing the day in reverse, or perhaps a reflection of how Lacey's life turned out in the next few years and how she struggled to put herself back together.