Hello, and welcome to today's review. This is our first Red Maple post for this year, yay! Sound off your thoughts in the comments! Oh, and we may have overwritten a pinch...
Emma's Rating: 3.5/5
Ashvini's Rating: 4/5
Emma's Review:
I thought that this book was amazing! I don’t know where to start… Okay, I guess I should start with the cover, because it is the first thing anyone sees. I actually thought the cover was okay compared to some covers I have seen, but I also have to say that it was plain. The Truth Commission was SO much better than the cover portrayed. Another thing I loved was how it was written (with the footnotes). I did not like it that much at first but it kind of grew on me. I loved how it was written as if The main character, Normandy, was writing the book and hadn’t yet had it edited by her creative writing teacher, Mrs. Fowler. I also thought that it was so cool how the author was able to sneak in little hints about Mrs. Fowler and Mr. Wells relationship. EVERYONE and I mean everyone (even in the non-spoilers reviews) talk about how this one character made them so mad. At first I had no idea what they were talking about I mean everyone was so cool. But as I progressed through the book I realized that one character near the end, always seemed to be set me on the edge of my seat with anger. The character was portrayed as fragile and non-social. Don’t let it fool you though as it did me. I know it didn’t fool Ashvini. Did it fool you? I also really enjoyed Normandy, Dusk and Neil’s relationship. It was just so beautiful how they all depended on each other so much. This book was so fantastic I would suggest this to literally anyone! Though it was a bit slow at the beginning this book had me entertained and constantly reading from start to finish. The only thing that I had a really hard time reading was the preface. It took me so long to get through that. It was just the main character going on a rant that was not really relevant to the story, but in any case I really loved the ending. And thought that it was cool that the book was written from start to finish like any other real book and that everything was included. Even and acknowledgments page!
Ashvini's Review:
The Truth Commission was quirky, dark, inspiring, and it was anything but what I expected. There was just something in the way that it was written… I went into it anticipating a lighthearted contemporary, then progressed through it to find myself reading a suspenseful thriller, finally finishing a powerful life-lesson type book. I just couldn’t get enough of it.
For me, the best books are the ones where the characters are the “heart,” the ones to make the story come alive, and the Truth Commission was exactly one of those books. There was just something in the way Normandy, Dusk, and Neil (our main characters) were written; they felt like real people you’d meet in your day-to-day lives. I truly appreciate the way that Susan Juby made every single characters in this story their own person, each with their backstory. Although she still included the typical high-school stereotypes with the jocks and such, Susan still managed to create more to them outside of their role in the high school community. Something, I feel that oh-so many books fail to recognize.
There was another aspect in the Truth Commission which was never properly addressed, yet was always there. That would be the friendship between the characters, particularly Dusk with Norm. Although her character development took a little longer than the others, Dusk ended up being my favourite character in the end. The farther you read, the more you understand that Dusk is loyal to the core, and her relationship with Norm isn’t perfect, but that’s what makes it so believable and realistic. I’ve really come to admire her strength in choosing her own “destiny” and being who she wants to be.
As sunshine and butterflies as I’ve described this book so far, I will admit that there was one thing that slightly took away for me: the plot-twist. I totally saw the end coming, and after finishing the book, didn’t find the plot twist to be as mind-blowing as others have described it to be. However, that took nothing away from the takeaway message of this book, and as underwhelmed as I was with the ending, I still loved the rest of this book to the core.
I think that the overall message in this book is what gives it the powerful punch. As much as you try to hide it or twist it, it will always be there. Whether it be positive or negative, whether you like it or not, the truth has an indefinite way of revealing itself. In its own beautiful, scary, heartbreaking, way the truth is unpredictable.
Can you guess what our next review will be on? HINTS: It's an eerie recent Red Maple Nominee. Woof Woof...
More reviews coming to a computer near you soon!
Yours Truly,
Ashvini and Emma
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