Book Review Twenty-Four: Bliss

Bliss by Lauren Myracle, published by Amulet Books.

In all honesty the only reason I picked up this book was because I needed something to read in the airport and they had a VERY small Young Adult section. In that section almost every book featured some supernatural element. Are there no more real-life reads anymore? Does everything revolve around aliens, witches, vampires, and werewolves? If so, that's really sad and I need to write something for my target market (aka: ME!). Luckily there was a love element in this novel, otherwise I would have gone crazy.

Let me explain a few things before I tell you about this novel. First and foremost, I usually stick to a select few authors that I really really like. For example: E. Lockhart, Laurie Halse Anderson, and Sarah Dessen. I've read almost all of their works (and I own all of E. Lockhart's books). Even though I've read two of Lauren Myracle's works before I wouldn't count her as one of my favorite authors. I didn't particularly love Kissing Kate and although I did enjoy How to Be Bad, it was a collaborative work with E. Lockhart and Sarah Mlynowski. But she BLEW me away with this novel. It was not only informative, it was also three-dimensional, complicated, and disturbing.

Secondly, I love to read my books straight through in one shot. I sat there with the Harry Potter books for hours at a time just to finish. That's how enthralled I was. I read most of Bliss in one day (it was a long day of travelling and being delayed at the airport) but it was difficult. It wasn't difficult because of the language or the fact that it's a 444 page novel. It was just disturbing. There were several instances where I would cringe and close the book for a few minutes. I was curious about the plot but Sandy, one of the main characters, a teenage girl who becomes obsessed with blood magic, started to creep me out. There's a scene in the novel where Bliss, the main character who moves from a commune with her hippie parents to live with her grandmother in Atlanta, enters Sandy's room for the first time and what follows is the most disgusting scene I have ever read. To put it delicately, Sandy has never cleaned up after her cat. Including the litter box. Talk about an image that haunts you...

There is so much involved in this novel I hardly know where to start. The writing technique Myracle uses is original in itself. The novel is first-person POV from Bliss' perspective. However, it's mixed with blackened pages that feature quotes from pop culture of the time. Mostly they feature quotes from The Andy Griffith Show and the Charles Manson Tate-LaBianca murder trial. Also between chapters are diary entries from S.L.L. Myracle may try to trick the reader by featuring two characters with the same initials, however it becomes quite obvious halfway through who the real S.L.L. is and that she is seriously deranged.

The character development is quite extraordinary also. All of the relationships feel complex and real from the strained relationship between Bliss and her grandmother to the fragile relationship between Bliss and Mitchell and the scary and somewhat deluded relationship between Sandy and Liliana. I was pretty amazed at how well-developed these relationships were. They rival those of Sarah Dessen. The only relationship that seemed strange and non-exisistant was that of Bliss and her parents. They essentially dropped her off at her grandmother's house and fled to Canada to never be heard from again. I want to say it seemed unrealistic, however I'm sure it's happened to someone somewhere.

The aspect of this novel that I enjoyed (and that was the most surprising) was the talk of integration in schools. Lawrence was Crestview Academy's "token black student" and Bliss expressed her feelings on the issue quite a few times throughout the novel. There is talk of the Ku Klux Klan, other integrated schools, an inter-racial relationship, and even the theme of power via race. It actually made me proud of her because she seemed to be the only character in the novel that could see past race and the stereotypes surrounding it.

When I finished the novel I'll admit that I said outloud "wow, that was fucked up." I encourage you to read it not only for a disturbing tale that rivals that of Stephen King but also for a glimpse at a character who is as flawed as she is inspiring.