Publisher: Dial
Publication date: March 2010
ISBN: 9780803734661
Source: Library
Rachel and her mother live in a remote area of the US, right near the Line, the edge of the known world. The Line has been there as long as Rachel and her mother can remember, separating what they know and where they live from Away. With a corrupt and controlling government that has taken many of their basic rights, being far from big cities is a good thing for them. When Rachel finds a message that came from the other side of the Line, she must decide between what is right and what is safe.
Things I Liked:
This book had an intriguing premise, with a government that essentially cuts off everything outside of its borders and restricts the movements of its citizens. I was intrigued by the history of how the Line came to be and how the rights of the US people were slowly stolen away. I like the setting of the book and also the way Rachel's relationship with her mother changes over the course of the book.
Things I Didn't Like:
For the most part, I was unimpressed with the book. I thought there was too little explanation of how things were and how they got that way. I found Rachel acted much younger than a teenager in the book. Her relationship with her mom felt much more like something a tween or younger would feel. I was quite disappointed with the ending, too. It felt like there was not any kind of closure to the story. I can tell there is probably an expected sequel, but there should be some amount of wrapping up in the book. After all the build up, things went very smoothly at the end, with very little trouble. I think that the main thing it could have used was more detail. Basically, it just wasn't for me.
Read-alikes:
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Gone by Michael Grant
Candor by Pam Bachorz
BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none
mrg-factor: none
v-factor: ->
very minor details
Overall rating: **
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