Teen/YA Review: The Reminder

I enjoyed Rune Michaels’ intriguing novel, The Reminder, about a teen girl struggling to come to terms with her mother’s recent death.  The novel is a unique blend of drama and suspense, with a bit of science fiction mixed in.

Daisy, known as Daze to her family and friends, feels lost without her mother.  Her father’s not coping much better, and it bothers Daze that her little brother doesn’t remember their mother very well.  She struggles with nightmares and getting on with her normal life in the face of such tragedy.  Then, strange things start happening:

The first time I heard my dead mother’s voice, there was a logical explanation.

It was the middle of the night, naturally – that’s when ghosts tend to visit.  I woke up from a familiar nightmare, gulping down air, my face damp with sweat, my heart hammering, visions of blue and green slipping away as I grabbed darkness gratefully instead.

Then I heard it again, like I must have heard through my sleep.

Mom’s voice.  Mom’s laughter, rippling under my bedroom door along with the sliver of light from the living room.

I don’t want to say too much more abut the plot because there are a few surprises in store for both Daze and the reader.  The novel is well written and does a great job of exploring the nature of grief and loss, while keeping things interesting with some unique plot twists.  This was the first book I’ve read by Rune Michaels, and I look forward to more, including her latest release, Nobel Genes.

You can visit the author’s website or her blog to learn more about her and her books.

182 pages, Atheneum (Simon & Schuster)