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A review by ansleymg
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer follows the main character who gives us the pseudonym of Mara Dyer at the beginning of the book through the tragic events of her junior year of high school. Within the first chapters of the book we see the tragedy begin to unfold as Mara wakes up in a hospital bed after a three day long coma. Mara’s family moves to Florida to help her escape her trauma, but Mara quickly discovers that the accident that she experienced was beyond escaping. This book takes you through twists and turns, depicting the struggles of a teenage girl with PTSD and a dark secret that her mind will not allow her to access.
I truly enjoyed this story. Realistic fiction is not my usual genre, but The Unbecoming is done so well. Mara Dyer as a character is difficult to follow. She rarely knows what is real and what is not. The book is written in such a way that the reader also does not always know what is “reality.” The blurring of reality and Mara’s psychoses is very artfully done. The dialogue is quick and witty, the book moves very quickly, and the final cliffhanger was thoroughly unexpected. Beyond just the main character, I developed so much love for Mara’s older brother, Daniel, and the way that their relationship is portrayed. Often authors write siblings in a way that is too loving or too hateful when the reality of siblings is typically somewhere in the middle. Hodkin walks this line perfectly. The only reason that this book did not receive a total of five stars is because for a solid chunk in the middle it becomes a romance book. While this portion was certainly included to create a sense that everything is going well in Mara’s life in order to make the climax that much more difficult, I found that section to be the hardest to get through. The plot seemed to just pause, which left me confused and reading to find out why nothing was happening anymore.
Overall, I could not put this book down. I read it in a total of six hours in a single day and I can’t wait to pick up the next book from my library to continue reading about Mara.
I truly enjoyed this story. Realistic fiction is not my usual genre, but The Unbecoming is done so well. Mara Dyer as a character is difficult to follow. She rarely knows what is real and what is not. The book is written in such a way that the reader also does not always know what is “reality.” The blurring of reality and Mara’s psychoses is very artfully done. The dialogue is quick and witty, the book moves very quickly, and the final cliffhanger was thoroughly unexpected. Beyond just the main character, I developed so much love for Mara’s older brother, Daniel, and the way that their relationship is portrayed. Often authors write siblings in a way that is too loving or too hateful when the reality of siblings is typically somewhere in the middle. Hodkin walks this line perfectly. The only reason that this book did not receive a total of five stars is because for a solid chunk in the middle it becomes a romance book. While this portion was certainly included to create a sense that everything is going well in Mara’s life in order to make the climax that much more difficult, I found that section to be the hardest to get through. The plot seemed to just pause, which left me confused and reading to find out why nothing was happening anymore.
Overall, I could not put this book down. I read it in a total of six hours in a single day and I can’t wait to pick up the next book from my library to continue reading about Mara.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Sexual assault
Moderate: Gun violence