Abandon

Cabot, Meg. (2011). Abandon. New York: Point/Scholastic. I absolutely loved the idea of retelling or reimagining the myth of Persephone who must spend part of her days in Hades and part of her days on Earth to appease Mother Nature's wrath at her having been kidnapped and stolen away. However, this title is somewhat disappointing and uneven in its delivery. The author gives her story a modern setting with 17-year-old Pierce Oliviera having moved to the Florida keys with her mother who grew up there. Her father is a wealthy CEO involved with the oil industry. Their relationship was set asunder when Pierce's mother blames her father for the accident that resulted in Pierce's drowning in the family pool. When Pierce drowned, she found herself in Hades and ended up with its ruler who she comes to know as John Hayden. Pierce, 15 at the time, is overwhelmed at the underworld's surroundings and flings hot tea into John's face. The next thing she knows she is alive, having undergone a near-death experience, for which will be what everyone blames her future bizarre behavior. John appears in her life a few more times, just when she seems to be in big trouble.

Pierce's story shifts back and forth in time from present day to her earlier, high school years. The shift actually adds interest to the story, but I found myself unable to understand some of her actions or her personality, and I never quite understood the connections between Pierce and John. It was not so difficult to understand how he would be frustrated at fighting off the Furies who kept punishing him for letting her go but rather hard to accept that keeping someone against her will the first time and kidnapping her the second time could somehow equate love or a healthy relationship. Maybe some of these concerns will be addressed in the next two titles of this planned trilogy, but even so, Pierce seems decidedly on the edge, and not necessarily in a good way. Perhaps also there will be more explanation of the bizarre social order and coffin building that are customary at her new high school. Although I was tempted to do so, I did not abandon this romance. Nevertheless, I have some concerns about this book being a possible model for how to court someone.

Favorite Lines:

"When he saw what I was doing, it was like seeing someone throw back the storm shutters on a house that had been closed up for hurricane season" (p. 38).

"When he finally let go of me, I felt as if my skin might actually be giving off the same shimmery reflection as the pool water" (p. 263).