What do you think?
Rate this book
Imaginary Girls
Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.
But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.
With palpable drama and delicious craft, Nova Ren Suma bursts onto the YA scene with the story that everyone will be talking about.
But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.
With palpable drama and delicious craft, Nova Ren Suma bursts onto the YA scene with the story that everyone will be talking about.
348 pages, Hardcover
First published June 14, 2011
About the author
Nova Ren Suma
12 books835 followersNova Ren Suma is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling and #1 Indie Next Pick The Walls Around Us as well as A Room Away from the Wolves, both finalists for an Edgar Award, among other acclaimed novels. She was co-editor of the story & craft anthology FORESHADOW: Stories to Celebrate the Magic of Reading & Writing YA, and her own short stories appear in various anthologies. She is a MacDowell fellow, a Yaddo fellow, and has taught creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania and Vermont College of Fine Arts. She grew up in the Hudson Valley and now lives in Philadelphia. Wake the Wild Creatures is forthcoming from Little, Brown in May 2025.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,344 reviews
August 24, 2011
Eerily beautiful and incredibly disturbing, Imaginary Girls is a novel unlike any other I've ever read. As the story begins, Chloe is coaxed into swimming across a reservoir at night by her magnetic and beautiful older sister, Ruby. A dangerous and illegal activity, made all the more frightening because Chloe would be swimming over the lost town of Olive, which was flooded to make room for the reservoir. The idea of swimming over a ghost towns in the dark of night, with the possibility of "cold, webbed hands" reaching out for your ankles, is incredibly evocative and scary, and it created a distinct feeling of unease that never left me.
If that wasn't enough, Chloe finds herself face to face with a dead body at the end of her swim. In terrible shock, she leaves town for awhile to live with her father. Upon her return, however, she finds that while everything still seems to go Ruby's way, absolutely nothing is exactly what it seems--and something terrible lurks beneath the surface of the charmed world that her sister has created.
This is a fascinating story about a compelling and uncomfortable relationship between a mesmerizing older sister and her profound influence on her younger sibling. Chloe refers to herself as an "echo" of Ruby, and the imbalance in their interactions becomes more and more troubling. What rings very true, especially for anyone who might have an older sister herself, is that Ruby mostly does not control those around her with threats or extremely negative behavior, but confidently captivates them with the beguiling persuasiveness of her personality. And it's the poison you love that usually does the most damage. The interesting thing is, as one of my fellow reviewers pointed out, I wouldn't necessarily call Ruby the villain of the piece, however. The situation is much more complicated than that.
Throughout the book, I wasn't entirely sure what was going on--is it supernatural? is it not?--and I think its dreamy, distant mood was perfect for a story that creates a lot of puzzling scenarios but doesn't necessarily provide clear cut answers. I think some readers may have an issue with some of the unresolved questions, but for me, its Twilight Zone quality was part of its appeal.
This is an extremely compelling and layered book, with gorgeous, haunting imagery and quietly frightening scenarios. It takes a gifted writer to make something as innocent as a bunch of balloons into a reason to make you worried and afraid. The shivers I felt upon reading that scene still haven't quite left me, and the disquieting mood of this strangely beautiful book certainly never will.
The Town of Olive:
There's a fascinating story behind the author's inspiration for this novel. The lost town of Olive was inspired by and loosely based on the communities in the Hudson Valley that were torn down to build the Ashokan Reservoir in 1917. The author also answers some other frequently asked questions on her website.
This review also appears in The Midnight Garden.
If that wasn't enough, Chloe finds herself face to face with a dead body at the end of her swim. In terrible shock, she leaves town for awhile to live with her father. Upon her return, however, she finds that while everything still seems to go Ruby's way, absolutely nothing is exactly what it seems--and something terrible lurks beneath the surface of the charmed world that her sister has created.
This is a fascinating story about a compelling and uncomfortable relationship between a mesmerizing older sister and her profound influence on her younger sibling. Chloe refers to herself as an "echo" of Ruby, and the imbalance in their interactions becomes more and more troubling. What rings very true, especially for anyone who might have an older sister herself, is that Ruby mostly does not control those around her with threats or extremely negative behavior, but confidently captivates them with the beguiling persuasiveness of her personality. And it's the poison you love that usually does the most damage. The interesting thing is, as one of my fellow reviewers pointed out, I wouldn't necessarily call Ruby the villain of the piece, however. The situation is much more complicated than that.
Throughout the book, I wasn't entirely sure what was going on--is it supernatural? is it not?--and I think its dreamy, distant mood was perfect for a story that creates a lot of puzzling scenarios but doesn't necessarily provide clear cut answers. I think some readers may have an issue with some of the unresolved questions, but for me, its Twilight Zone quality was part of its appeal.
This is an extremely compelling and layered book, with gorgeous, haunting imagery and quietly frightening scenarios. It takes a gifted writer to make something as innocent as a bunch of balloons into a reason to make you worried and afraid. The shivers I felt upon reading that scene still haven't quite left me, and the disquieting mood of this strangely beautiful book certainly never will.
The Town of Olive:
There's a fascinating story behind the author's inspiration for this novel. The lost town of Olive was inspired by and loosely based on the communities in the Hudson Valley that were torn down to build the Ashokan Reservoir in 1917. The author also answers some other frequently asked questions on her website.
This review also appears in The Midnight Garden.
August 25, 2011
2.5 stars
This is the first time that I've considered NOT rating a book. I felt, and still feel, like whatever number of stars I might give are not going to truly reflect my opinion nor do Imaginary Girls any justice.
So keep in mind that my rating in this case is just the result of a mathematical addition of factors, of things I liked and didn't like.
The story is, in a nutshell, a mystery. It's difficult for me to give you a synopsis of the plot, but suffice it to say it involves a mysterious reservoir, two sisters morbidly obsessed with one another, a dead girl in a rowboat and a series of unexplainable events.
This is one of the most distressing books I have read this year or, probably, ever and all I feel is that I just did not get it.
Let me make some comparisons that might help you out:
If it were an artistic movement, it would be Surrealism.
If it were a movie, it would be a David Lynch movie.
if it were music, it would be jazz.
Disturbingly creepy, oneiric, harrowing and full of suspense, it kept me on the edge until the very last pages. The word predictable does not exist in this author's dictionary, I'll give you that much.
But that the long awaited climax was, in the end, so anticlimactic distressed me very much.
For about 80% of the book I could not figure out, for the life of me, what was happening and why. I was expecting some paranormal element to give an explanation to all my questions but, in the end, there wasn't. It was just all surreal.
The strong points of this book are, objectively, the amazing writing style and characterization. The writing is exceptional and evocative and, thanks to that, some of the characters, Ruby in particular, come out well formed, palpable and yes, disturbing.
The fact that I could not find one likable character in this book though, really detracted from my enjoyment. Not only I could not justify the absurdity of some of the actions of the characters, but I could never, not even at the end, sympathize with any of them . Least of all Ruby.
The obvious deduction of all these ramblings is that this book, evidently, was really not for me. I can see why it might appeal to other readers but it really didn't happen for me. I just didn't get it. It was all over the place, and it defies logic.
Definitely recommended to people who do not recognize themselves in this review, you won't be disappointed.
*** added points for the beautiful, completely relevant cover.
This is the first time that I've considered NOT rating a book. I felt, and still feel, like whatever number of stars I might give are not going to truly reflect my opinion nor do Imaginary Girls any justice.
So keep in mind that my rating in this case is just the result of a mathematical addition of factors, of things I liked and didn't like.
The story is, in a nutshell, a mystery. It's difficult for me to give you a synopsis of the plot, but suffice it to say it involves a mysterious reservoir, two sisters morbidly obsessed with one another, a dead girl in a rowboat and a series of unexplainable events.
This is one of the most distressing books I have read this year or, probably, ever and all I feel is that I just did not get it.
Let me make some comparisons that might help you out:
If it were an artistic movement, it would be Surrealism.
If it were a movie, it would be a David Lynch movie.
if it were music, it would be jazz.
Disturbingly creepy, oneiric, harrowing and full of suspense, it kept me on the edge until the very last pages. The word predictable does not exist in this author's dictionary, I'll give you that much.
But that the long awaited climax was, in the end, so anticlimactic distressed me very much.
For about 80% of the book I could not figure out, for the life of me, what was happening and why. I was expecting some paranormal element to give an explanation to all my questions but, in the end, there wasn't. It was just all surreal.
The strong points of this book are, objectively, the amazing writing style and characterization. The writing is exceptional and evocative and, thanks to that, some of the characters, Ruby in particular, come out well formed, palpable and yes, disturbing.
The fact that I could not find one likable character in this book though, really detracted from my enjoyment. Not only I could not justify the absurdity of some of the actions of the characters, but I could never, not even at the end, sympathize with any of them . Least of all Ruby.
The obvious deduction of all these ramblings is that this book, evidently, was really not for me. I can see why it might appeal to other readers but it really didn't happen for me. I just didn't get it. It was all over the place, and it defies logic.
Definitely recommended to people who do not recognize themselves in this review, you won't be disappointed.
*** added points for the beautiful, completely relevant cover.
September 21, 2011
OK, I think I'm finally ready to review this properly. Deep breath...
I didn't like this book.
I know, I know, it has four stars and may even deserve five, but I didn't LIKE it. It hit too close to home, and I'm having trouble working out a way to discuss that without laying my own crap out all over the internet in gruesome and excessive detail.
I'm going to have to approach this obliquely, I fear.
Long ago, when I was first became a parent, I read a lot of parenting books. One idea in particular hit me hard -- so hard that I can't even figure out where I first read about it, the source got knocked right out of my brain. That idea was "differentiation".
Differentiation is the process by which children learn that they are different people from their parents. I realize that sounds both trivial and obvious, but it's not. It usually happens in stages; a child begins to realize things like "Oh, I like olives and mom doesn't, and that's ok because we're different people!" or "Sometimes Daddy is WRONG!" It's basic boundaries-building. This is mine, THAT is yours, we are not identical and that is as must be.
For some people, believe it or not, this process doesn't quite manage to happen. Sometimes a parent is so self-centered, needy, and/or charismatic that the children can't (or won't) pull away. that's what I see, laid out starkly and grimly, in this novel. Ruby has been Chloe's default parent. Chloe can't tell where she ends and her sister begins. Ruby is such a narcissist she encourages this. They're a cult of two, and Chloe never manages to break free.
The magic-realism, or surrealism, or however the nightmarish imagery should be categorized, serves to amplify this dynamic. It's the psychological made literal, the mind turned inside-out. And it's not like Chloe doesn't see the discrepancies between Ruby's domain and naked reality. She absolutely sees them, and they bother her a little bit.
But not enough to break free. Even with Ruby "dead" (and I mean, is she? Certainly if you gauge by Chloe's psyche, the answer has to be no), there is no escape for poor Chloe.
And that, I think, is the crux of my dislike. The book was well-written and compelling and creepy, and you should absolutely read it, but the ending made me want to punch holes in the wall. I want to howl and burn things. And yes, there is personal history wrapped up in my reaction, and no, I'm not explaining it in any more detail than I did in my status updates.
It's a hard book. A bullying book, compelling you to read even when you hate it. Worth the time, and worth the heartache, but I have to keep reminding myself that escape is possible, even if Chloe didn't want it.
I didn't like this book.
I know, I know, it has four stars and may even deserve five, but I didn't LIKE it. It hit too close to home, and I'm having trouble working out a way to discuss that without laying my own crap out all over the internet in gruesome and excessive detail.
I'm going to have to approach this obliquely, I fear.
Long ago, when I was first became a parent, I read a lot of parenting books. One idea in particular hit me hard -- so hard that I can't even figure out where I first read about it, the source got knocked right out of my brain. That idea was "differentiation".
Differentiation is the process by which children learn that they are different people from their parents. I realize that sounds both trivial and obvious, but it's not. It usually happens in stages; a child begins to realize things like "Oh, I like olives and mom doesn't, and that's ok because we're different people!" or "Sometimes Daddy is WRONG!" It's basic boundaries-building. This is mine, THAT is yours, we are not identical and that is as must be.
For some people, believe it or not, this process doesn't quite manage to happen. Sometimes a parent is so self-centered, needy, and/or charismatic that the children can't (or won't) pull away. that's what I see, laid out starkly and grimly, in this novel. Ruby has been Chloe's default parent. Chloe can't tell where she ends and her sister begins. Ruby is such a narcissist she encourages this. They're a cult of two, and Chloe never manages to break free.
The magic-realism, or surrealism, or however the nightmarish imagery should be categorized, serves to amplify this dynamic. It's the psychological made literal, the mind turned inside-out. And it's not like Chloe doesn't see the discrepancies between Ruby's domain and naked reality. She absolutely sees them, and they bother her a little bit.
But not enough to break free. Even with Ruby "dead" (and I mean, is she? Certainly if you gauge by Chloe's psyche, the answer has to be no), there is no escape for poor Chloe.
And that, I think, is the crux of my dislike. The book was well-written and compelling and creepy, and you should absolutely read it, but the ending made me want to punch holes in the wall. I want to howl and burn things. And yes, there is personal history wrapped up in my reaction, and no, I'm not explaining it in any more detail than I did in my status updates.
It's a hard book. A bullying book, compelling you to read even when you hate it. Worth the time, and worth the heartache, but I have to keep reminding myself that escape is possible, even if Chloe didn't want it.
November 11, 2014
I had heard that this was a strange book, but whoa! I do love weird, though. In a world where we get the same-old, same-old when it comes to books and movies, it's refreshing to get a truly original idea. Something that breaks the mould and isn't afraid to stand on its own.
Imaginary Girls is all about Ruby. Ruby is the girl no one seems to be able to say no to. She gets what she wants, when she wants it, no matter what. She has everyone tried around her fingers, and every boy stumbling over their feet to do her bidding. While this sounds like it could be a fairly annoying character - and to be honest it was at first - it's also kind of fascinating. It's made obvious that this… ability of hers is bizarre, unnatural. And the love she has for her sister borders on dangerous. I was definitely creeped out by her behaviour throughout. She comes off as a sort of beautiful, irresistible evil. Then we have Chloe who likes to believe she doesn't always do as her sister asks, but she does. Because to Chloe, her sister is everything. She's like a magical being and Chloe would do anything for her. Because that's what sisters do.
Then we have a 3rd character who's not a person, but a town called Olive that is now submerged under a reservoir. This town comes with a lot of old tales and legends, many told by Ruby. These stories are full of sadness and loss, but also of wonder and magic. Whether Chloe believes in her sister's stories about Olive, there is no doubt something… alluring about the reservoir. It's as if it was alive, as if people really still were living down there in a submerged town, going about their lives under water. Asking, demanding, calling out. It's both mesmerizing and undeniably eerie. This atmosphere is brought to life with a writing style that is evocative and vivid. She can set a scene perfectly with wondrous imagery, and characters that come alive with a turn of the page.
As it can be with magical realism novels, many things are left to our imagination. I was expecting a twist that would make everything clear, give everything a reason, but there isn't. You just have to accept this is what it is. In the end, I can't say I was completely satisfied after turning the last page. Still, it's the kind of ending that is full of hope, wonder, and shows the true meaning of unconditional love. So in a way, even if much of it remains a mystery, it's quite beautiful, albeit in a sad way.
--
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads
Imaginary Girls is all about Ruby. Ruby is the girl no one seems to be able to say no to. She gets what she wants, when she wants it, no matter what. She has everyone tried around her fingers, and every boy stumbling over their feet to do her bidding. While this sounds like it could be a fairly annoying character - and to be honest it was at first - it's also kind of fascinating. It's made obvious that this… ability of hers is bizarre, unnatural. And the love she has for her sister borders on dangerous. I was definitely creeped out by her behaviour throughout. She comes off as a sort of beautiful, irresistible evil. Then we have Chloe who likes to believe she doesn't always do as her sister asks, but she does. Because to Chloe, her sister is everything. She's like a magical being and Chloe would do anything for her. Because that's what sisters do.
Then we have a 3rd character who's not a person, but a town called Olive that is now submerged under a reservoir. This town comes with a lot of old tales and legends, many told by Ruby. These stories are full of sadness and loss, but also of wonder and magic. Whether Chloe believes in her sister's stories about Olive, there is no doubt something… alluring about the reservoir. It's as if it was alive, as if people really still were living down there in a submerged town, going about their lives under water. Asking, demanding, calling out. It's both mesmerizing and undeniably eerie. This atmosphere is brought to life with a writing style that is evocative and vivid. She can set a scene perfectly with wondrous imagery, and characters that come alive with a turn of the page.
As it can be with magical realism novels, many things are left to our imagination. I was expecting a twist that would make everything clear, give everything a reason, but there isn't. You just have to accept this is what it is. In the end, I can't say I was completely satisfied after turning the last page. Still, it's the kind of ending that is full of hope, wonder, and shows the true meaning of unconditional love. So in a way, even if much of it remains a mystery, it's quite beautiful, albeit in a sad way.
--
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads
September 21, 2011
2.5. The extra half star mostly for the cover.
Interesting premise, but it failed for me in large part for one reason: I hated Ruby. And this is a novel that needs you to believe in the beautiful magic of the most narcissistic, vicious character I have ever read. Suma spends so much time in the beginning "telling" me all about how wonderful Ruby is instead of "showing" me anything, that the more Chloe went on about how charming her sister was, the more I couldn't wait for her to wake up and realize how reckless and controlling she was. Alas, she never does. She just keeps trying to convince me otherwise.
But that's not the only reason the novel bothered me. Suma never sets up or develops her scenes. She throws you in the middle of it and then waits until after you're confused to give you description. For example, there's a scene where her and London are standing in the village green and London shouts at her if she's coming, only after the dialogue does Suma explain that London is in a car that wasn't there before. The whole novel is like that and after awhile it wore on me always trying to figure out what was going on. Without developed scenes, nothing fully happened, just the shadow of a scene here, the hint of something happening there, nothing more than all these little questions that come up so that by the end I wasn't sure if all of my questions had been answered. It was so frustrating to read, I almost quit a hundred times.
My biggest frustration is Suma kept getting in the way of the story, purposely stopping me from funding anything out to create the sense of mystery. A few discoveries to pique my interest or a bit of wonder from Chloe would have gone a long way to pull me into the story. Chloe never wondered why strange things were happening, or if she bought into them, explained to us why she didn't need to ask the right questions. And if she ever did get close to asking them, Suma interrupted the scene to keep us from finding anything out. I understand the feel of magic, the mystery that Suma was going for, but she went about the wrong way creating that eerie feeling. I never quite worked up the ability to suspend my disbelief when Chloe never worked up a sense of wonder herself. There were times when she showed hope of trying to figure out the mystery of what Olive and Ruby where doing to the town, but then she'd settle back into her content oblivion and I was left with all my questions.
The most interesting line in the novel was the statement that just maybe Chloe was locked up in PA imagining all of this. I wish that had been expounded on more. I like that there's a hint of magic without a firm resolve and I loved the eerie quality of the story, but I'd rather Chloe had been a little more proactive, to be amazed or confused or anything other than merely enthralled with Ruby and trying to convince me to be the same. There was a lot of promise in this novel. Suma shows some talent with words. With easy edits I could have loved it. Maybe Suma's next novel will be better developed.
Interesting premise, but it failed for me in large part for one reason: I hated Ruby. And this is a novel that needs you to believe in the beautiful magic of the most narcissistic, vicious character I have ever read. Suma spends so much time in the beginning "telling" me all about how wonderful Ruby is instead of "showing" me anything, that the more Chloe went on about how charming her sister was, the more I couldn't wait for her to wake up and realize how reckless and controlling she was. Alas, she never does. She just keeps trying to convince me otherwise.
But that's not the only reason the novel bothered me. Suma never sets up or develops her scenes. She throws you in the middle of it and then waits until after you're confused to give you description. For example, there's a scene where her and London are standing in the village green and London shouts at her if she's coming, only after the dialogue does Suma explain that London is in a car that wasn't there before. The whole novel is like that and after awhile it wore on me always trying to figure out what was going on. Without developed scenes, nothing fully happened, just the shadow of a scene here, the hint of something happening there, nothing more than all these little questions that come up so that by the end I wasn't sure if all of my questions had been answered. It was so frustrating to read, I almost quit a hundred times.
My biggest frustration is Suma kept getting in the way of the story, purposely stopping me from funding anything out to create the sense of mystery. A few discoveries to pique my interest or a bit of wonder from Chloe would have gone a long way to pull me into the story. Chloe never wondered why strange things were happening, or if she bought into them, explained to us why she didn't need to ask the right questions. And if she ever did get close to asking them, Suma interrupted the scene to keep us from finding anything out. I understand the feel of magic, the mystery that Suma was going for, but she went about the wrong way creating that eerie feeling. I never quite worked up the ability to suspend my disbelief when Chloe never worked up a sense of wonder herself. There were times when she showed hope of trying to figure out the mystery of what Olive and Ruby where doing to the town, but then she'd settle back into her content oblivion and I was left with all my questions.
The most interesting line in the novel was the statement that just maybe Chloe was locked up in PA imagining all of this. I wish that had been expounded on more. I like that there's a hint of magic without a firm resolve and I loved the eerie quality of the story, but I'd rather Chloe had been a little more proactive, to be amazed or confused or anything other than merely enthralled with Ruby and trying to convince me to be the same. There was a lot of promise in this novel. Suma shows some talent with words. With easy edits I could have loved it. Maybe Suma's next novel will be better developed.
March 8, 2014
Let me just get this out of the way from the start; I’m really not
sure
how I feel about this book.
The evocative, eerie, captivating writing which is somehow, at the same time, simple in its wording, is not dissimilar to the style of Margo Lanagan.
The way this book made me feel queasy and annoyed, while still making it impossible to put the book down, was not dissimilar to Margo’s books.
And I usually find myself feeling a very similar mix of emotions after reading one of Margo’s stories.
Shoujo commented when I finished the book and asked if I loved it. I didn’t know what to tell her, but if Margo’s books are any kind of judge, when the smoke clears, I will. Absolutely. Without a doubt.
This is a tale about obsession, and about the power that older siblings have over younger siblings, told from the point of view of an unreliable narrator. I loved that about it. I loved the voice of the story, and how the novel itself seemed to dote on Ruby, while I brought my external prejudices to the table, and read a different story to the one that Chloe thought she was telling.
And I do think this is a story best read with as little info as possible. While I have done my best to properly tag, or just avoid spoilers, please consider that before reading on.
Things definitely annoyed me about this book, but not in a “the author did this poorly” way.
Ruby was a spoilt brat and not a likeable person. But, well, I guess if everyone falls under your spell, and the only people who see through it are people who would hang of your every word anyway, you can’t HELP but be vile.
Chloe isn’t just Ruby’s little sister, she’s her willing slave:
There were times that I really hated Ruby. Times where I raged at the book, because she had such STRANGE double standards, and I wondered WHY Chloe couldn’t see through her.
Sometimes Chloe DOES come close to seeing it
But Chloe still lets Ruby call all the shots, make all the rules
She tells Chloe how to feel
I did not like Ruby at all, and Chloe, being a mostly compliant shadow at Ruby’s beck and call did not make me like her immensely, either.
I felt sorry for her.
Even at the end of the book I felt sorry for her. She doesn’t see how pitiful her situation is.
I understand
The novel:
I didn’t know what to think about this book as I went in. I knew next to nothing about it as I read, and there are still some things I am in the dark about at the end.
It started out as a story about two sisters from the wrong side of the tracks. The older, bossy one, who always gets her way, and the younger one who follows in her sister’s footsteps.
Ruby, the older, gets everything she wants, and ignores the rules of society. Their mother is an absent drunk, and something happens that results in Chloe, the younger, being sent to live with her dad.
At this stage of the book, it all seems very normal, real world, with the fantastical elements of the older sister’s stories creating a bit of a gothic, creepy feel about the reservoir in their home town.
Two years later, the younger comes back, and that’s when the shit starts to get WEIRD.
When the weird started happening, an assortment of options for where this was going popped to mind, each as likely as the rest. One hundred pages from the end of the book, I still really didn’t know what to make of it, or where it was going.
I devoured this book. It kept me reading, well past my bedtime, and I NEEDED to know what the end result was going to be.
Part way through, I had a dream that the end was disappointing and, while I don’t think it was quite as disappointing as that, I was a little upset with how it ended.
I don’t think I can come up with what might have been a more satisfying end. I don’t think it was the WRONG ending, it was just… Not the ending I was hoping for.
I understand, as this story was told from Chloe’s POV, we can’t know things that she didn’t find out, but I would really have liked to know
The evocative, eerie, captivating writing which is somehow, at the same time, simple in its wording, is not dissimilar to the style of Margo Lanagan.
The way this book made me feel queasy and annoyed, while still making it impossible to put the book down, was not dissimilar to Margo’s books.
And I usually find myself feeling a very similar mix of emotions after reading one of Margo’s stories.
Shoujo commented when I finished the book and asked if I loved it. I didn’t know what to tell her, but if Margo’s books are any kind of judge, when the smoke clears, I will. Absolutely. Without a doubt.
This is a tale about obsession, and about the power that older siblings have over younger siblings, told from the point of view of an unreliable narrator. I loved that about it. I loved the voice of the story, and how the novel itself seemed to dote on Ruby, while I brought my external prejudices to the table, and read a different story to the one that Chloe thought she was telling.
And I do think this is a story best read with as little info as possible. While I have done my best to properly tag, or just avoid spoilers, please consider that before reading on.
Things definitely annoyed me about this book, but not in a “the author did this poorly” way.
Ruby was a spoilt brat and not a likeable person. But, well, I guess if everyone falls under your spell, and the only people who see through it are people who would hang of your every word anyway, you can’t HELP but be vile.
Chloe isn’t just Ruby’s little sister, she’s her willing slave:
He looked down and wiped more sawdust on his pants. Then he looked up into my eyes.
”Do you make her breakfast in the morning?” I asked.
“Some mornings.”
“And iced coffee the way she likes it?”
“Yeah, sure. Sometimes.”
“Do you answer the phone when it rings so she doesn’t have to? Do you make her popcorn on Wednesdays? Do you do her laundry and hang out her dresses to dry?”
There were times that I really hated Ruby. Times where I raged at the book, because she had such STRANGE double standards, and I wondered WHY Chloe couldn’t see through her.
“At least there’s that,” Ruby said. “As for you, Chlo, we’ll talk later, after drives you home. Your curfew is midnight. I’ve never believed in curfews for myself-like I would’ve listened if our mother gave me one.” She laughed, sharply, and I held the phone away from my ear as she did. “But,” she went on, and I pulled the phone back, “I’ve decided I now believe in curfews for you. Midnight.” And at that she cut the line.
And then
”Look at the time, Chlo.”
I glanced at my cell phone to see that the display read 12:02.
“It’s midnight,” I told her.
“No,” she said, “it’s after midnight. It’s twelve-oh-two.”
Sometimes Chloe DOES come close to seeing it
She changed the subject. “Chloe, you should have told me boys were going to be there. You never said anything about any boys being there.”
“But I didn’t know.” I was utterly confused at how she was acting-like she was tallying up all the things I’d done wrong, and I’d only gone out without her this one night, and it had been her idea to send me. Was she being a parent now? What would she do next, ground me?
But Chloe still lets Ruby call all the shots, make all the rules
”The talk, the one we didn’t have last night. There are things you can and can’t do, and we need to talk about them.” She counted on her fingers, repeating all the things she’d already told me. The phone, I shouldn’t answer it. I shouldn’t leave town, I shouldn’t eat raisins in front of her (this was new, but I should know that raisins sickened her, and who’s to say they don’t grow back into grapes once they’re swallowed?), I shouldn’t go out to the reservoir, she didn’t want me smoking even if she sometimes did, no drugs and no drinking, obviously, and she didn’t think to highly of Owen and if I wanted to like a boy I should make an effort to find another.
She tells Chloe how to feel
I shook my head; she was being silly now.
“I want you to cut this out today,” she said. “That nobody with the bad hair… You don’t like him anymore.”
“I don’t?”
“You don’t. I won’t let you.”
She was acting like she could forbid me from having an emotion. She could shove a hand down my throat and wiggle her fingers as far as they’d go, plucking out stuff she didn’t want in there, like she did when we got up the courage to clean out last season’s mouldy takeout containers from the fridge. She’d do it fast, and didn’t even hold her nose.
“Good,” she said.
I did not like Ruby at all, and Chloe, being a mostly compliant shadow at Ruby’s beck and call did not make me like her immensely, either.
I felt sorry for her.
Even at the end of the book I felt sorry for her. She doesn’t see how pitiful her situation is.
I understand
The novel:
I didn’t know what to think about this book as I went in. I knew next to nothing about it as I read, and there are still some things I am in the dark about at the end.
It started out as a story about two sisters from the wrong side of the tracks. The older, bossy one, who always gets her way, and the younger one who follows in her sister’s footsteps.
Ruby, the older, gets everything she wants, and ignores the rules of society. Their mother is an absent drunk, and something happens that results in Chloe, the younger, being sent to live with her dad.
At this stage of the book, it all seems very normal, real world, with the fantastical elements of the older sister’s stories creating a bit of a gothic, creepy feel about the reservoir in their home town.
Two years later, the younger comes back, and that’s when the shit starts to get WEIRD.
When the weird started happening, an assortment of options for where this was going popped to mind, each as likely as the rest. One hundred pages from the end of the book, I still really didn’t know what to make of it, or where it was going.
I devoured this book. It kept me reading, well past my bedtime, and I NEEDED to know what the end result was going to be.
Part way through, I had a dream that the end was disappointing and, while I don’t think it was quite as disappointing as that, I was a little upset with how it ended.
I don’t think I can come up with what might have been a more satisfying end. I don’t think it was the WRONG ending, it was just… Not the ending I was hoping for.
I understand, as this story was told from Chloe’s POV, we can’t know things that she didn’t find out, but I would really have liked to know
August 23, 2011
Imaginary Girls leaves me feeling the way I did after seeing Donnie Darko and Virgin Suicides for the first time ever. Picture me utterly confused at times but mostly unnerved and slightly creeped out. Donnie Darko is my favorite 'WTF was that movie' while Virgin Suicides was my first 'how sad but twisted' one. That Imaginary Girls had me feeling both things (sometimes simultaneously) is quite a feat. Needless to say, Imaginary Girls is different... and I liked it.
Who else has come across those posts on manic pixies? Ruby is almost like one of those except she's so much more. Yes, she's the beautiful, mysterious girl and has everyone enamored with her. But there's something more sinister to her. I kept waiting and waiting for the book to reveal precisely what had my skin crawling but what she was is never clearly defined. One thing is certain though, she isn't one dimensional. And if I had to label her the villain, I'd hesitate to do so. She simply loved to deeply and completely and in the end
At it's core it's a love story but not a romantic one. It's a love between sisters that'sslightly definitely skewed and a bit overly dependent... on both sides. Where Chloe is the younger sister grown used to what her older sister's decisions and whims are, Ruby, the older one is defined by her role as protector. Both of them go overboard and it was fascinating to read.
With all that, there were still boys, no men, to consider. Men who're so in love with the idea of Ruby. It was disturbing to read... but I could not tear myself from it. I think the best thing about this aspect of the story was Owen. I'd dreaded the moment when Chloe would turn out like her sister. But the minute something along those lines did happen, well it was a great moment. Because instead of a "love conquers all" thing, there's a dimming of brightness for both. What he thinks of her has changed and vice versa. Definitely, these were not simple characters.
Goodness me! I really enjoyed reading this, and I really like that I find myself struggling to define what kind of read it was. It's different and dark. With the way it started, I had no idea where I'd end up.
READ THIS!
4/5
Who else has come across those posts on manic pixies? Ruby is almost like one of those except she's so much more. Yes, she's the beautiful, mysterious girl and has everyone enamored with her. But there's something more sinister to her. I kept waiting and waiting for the book to reveal precisely what had my skin crawling but what she was is never clearly defined. One thing is certain though, she isn't one dimensional. And if I had to label her the villain, I'd hesitate to do so. She simply loved to deeply and completely and in the end
At it's core it's a love story but not a romantic one. It's a love between sisters that's
With all that, there were still boys, no men, to consider. Men who're so in love with the idea of Ruby. It was disturbing to read... but I could not tear myself from it. I think the best thing about this aspect of the story was Owen. I'd dreaded the moment when Chloe would turn out like her sister. But the minute something along those lines did happen, well it was a great moment. Because instead of a "love conquers all" thing, there's a dimming of brightness for both. What he thinks of her has changed and vice versa. Definitely, these were not simple characters.
Goodness me! I really enjoyed reading this, and I really like that I find myself struggling to define what kind of read it was. It's different and dark. With the way it started, I had no idea where I'd end up.
READ THIS!
4/5
January 26, 2012
I started reading this book in June. JUNE! I finally finished reading it last night. Admittedly I liked Imaginary Girls at first--like the first couple of chapters--then almost immediately it was all I could do to finish one page every time I picked this book up. The story is not that interesting. The writing-style is irritating and pretentious. It feels as though author goes out of her way to say things in the most roundabout way, in a way that's meant to be artsy and poetic. I wouldn't go so far as say the prose are purple-ish...but...yeah...almost.
Plus, I didn't like the older sister, Ruby, which is sort of a huge problem because a lot of the story has to do with the MC's (Chloe) hero-worship of said older sister. Hate is a strong word, but I'm willing to go so far as say I HATE Ruby. She sucks. And while I can understand Chloe's allegiance to Ruby, I still think she gives her sister way too much control over every aspect in her life. And the worst part is she does so gladly. That wouldn't be so bad if at the end of the novel things had been different. But, no, I didn't get the sense that Chloe was a better person by the end of the novel, if she'd learned some sort of a lesson. If anything, she's regressed. And that's really sad.
So, while I do think the cover is STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL, and like the fact that this is a standalone with an original premise, I still do not like this book. I don't know who I'd recommend it to. No one, probably. But if you're wanting to read this, don't let my review stop you. Read Imaginary Girls if you feel compelled to do so. Who knows? It might be just up your alley. 1.5 stars.
Plus, I didn't like the older sister, Ruby, which is sort of a huge problem because a lot of the story has to do with the MC's (Chloe) hero-worship of said older sister. Hate is a strong word, but I'm willing to go so far as say I HATE Ruby. She sucks. And while I can understand Chloe's allegiance to Ruby, I still think she gives her sister way too much control over every aspect in her life. And the worst part is she does so gladly. That wouldn't be so bad if at the end of the novel things had been different. But, no, I didn't get the sense that Chloe was a better person by the end of the novel, if she'd learned some sort of a lesson. If anything, she's regressed. And that's really sad.
So, while I do think the cover is STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL, and like the fact that this is a standalone with an original premise, I still do not like this book. I don't know who I'd recommend it to. No one, probably. But if you're wanting to read this, don't let my review stop you. Read Imaginary Girls if you feel compelled to do so. Who knows? It might be just up your alley. 1.5 stars.
August 28, 2016
I have an odd relationship with young adult realistic fiction. I keep on reading it although I often cannot relate to it. I think that, the majority of the time, teenage lives are portrayed best (but not necessarily more accurately) on television (e.g. Gilmore Girls, The OC, One Tree Hill… I do love American teen dramas). Imaginary Girls is the complete opposite in this respect and I think this is mainly because of the writing (and not necessarily the plot itself). I can't imagine that television would be able to capture it very well. There are many beautifully written passages and sentences that I’d love to quote for you but because I read an uncorrected proof copy, this would be illegal unless I checked it against the finished copy, which I haven’t. You’ll just have to take my word for it. The writing isn’t particularly life changing and I don’t mean it’s beautiful in the sense that there are deeply inspiring thoughts, more that it uses metaphors that I wish I could use in real life without sounding pretentious and a little peculiar. The atmosphere also plays a massive part in the storyline and I often felt I was drowning whilst reading. I don’t think I’ll look at a reservoir (not that they’re a huge part of my daily life…) the same way ever again.
The sister relationship (between our two main characters – Ruby and Chloe) was something I cannot personally relate to and as much as I try, I cannot imagine. Ruby was not a favourite character of mine. She’s presented as this wonderfully, quirky, original personality whereas I found her to be extremely possessive, nasty and controlling. It’s probably one of the few times that I have been glad that I do not have a sister because I’d feel extremely letdown if I had one like Ruby. However, it’s not like the author believes that the relationship between the two girls is functional and positive, as you’ll realise as you read further. Ruby’s actually damaging to everyone around her. I saw Chloe’s as the stronger of the two girls. She’s not seen to be as ‘perfect’ or even as likeable but I really admired her maturity and ability to see what was really going on.
This leads on to the ‘main’ plot: “Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood”. This was slightly paranormal-y and fantasy-ish but in a way that I cannot explain. Is it a ghost story? Is it magic? Is everyone insane? I had no idea what was going on most of the time and unfortunately the complex situation it isn’t completely cleared up at the end. I still felt unsatisfied but overall, the eerie plot added intrigue to the story and I did have chills running down my spine at one point.
Imaginary Girls is an interesting blend of genres and I really enjoyed the mix. It was completely not what I expected at all but that only added to the excitement. I only wish the book gave more answers but overall I found it to be a thoroughly mesmerising read.
This book was obtained as an eGalley from the publisher for review.
I also reviewed this book over on Pretty Books.
The sister relationship (between our two main characters – Ruby and Chloe) was something I cannot personally relate to and as much as I try, I cannot imagine. Ruby was not a favourite character of mine. She’s presented as this wonderfully, quirky, original personality whereas I found her to be extremely possessive, nasty and controlling. It’s probably one of the few times that I have been glad that I do not have a sister because I’d feel extremely letdown if I had one like Ruby. However, it’s not like the author believes that the relationship between the two girls is functional and positive, as you’ll realise as you read further. Ruby’s actually damaging to everyone around her. I saw Chloe’s as the stronger of the two girls. She’s not seen to be as ‘perfect’ or even as likeable but I really admired her maturity and ability to see what was really going on.
This leads on to the ‘main’ plot: “Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood”. This was slightly paranormal-y and fantasy-ish but in a way that I cannot explain. Is it a ghost story? Is it magic? Is everyone insane? I had no idea what was going on most of the time and unfortunately the complex situation it isn’t completely cleared up at the end. I still felt unsatisfied but overall, the eerie plot added intrigue to the story and I did have chills running down my spine at one point.
Imaginary Girls is an interesting blend of genres and I really enjoyed the mix. It was completely not what I expected at all but that only added to the excitement. I only wish the book gave more answers but overall I found it to be a thoroughly mesmerising read.
This book was obtained as an eGalley from the publisher for review.
I also reviewed this book over on Pretty Books.
July 19, 2017
“She smelled of deep, dark things and untold secrets and all of what she was keeping from me.”
Gah, Nova Ren Suma does it again. Just rip my heart out and stomp on it while you're at it, why don't you? It came as no surprise that I loved this absolutely stunning, bizarre, and deliciously creepy book after loving the author's The Walls Around Us. Suma writes about some of the weirdest darned things - like, say, ballerinas who are serial killers.
In the beautiful, whimsical Imaginary Girls, Chloe is living in the shadow of her popular, gorgeous older sister, Ruby. One night at a party, Ruby dares Chloe to swim across the reservoir. Chloe makes it halfway across before she discovers a rowboat - and inside of the rowboat is the body of one of her classmates, London Hayes.
I can't even begin to describe the gorgeous, fairytale-like quality that is Suma's writing. I could read her wonderful sentences over and over. The strange, dreamlike, chilling plot became more twisted the more I read. I got so caught up in Chloe's story of how she always felt invisible next to Ruby. Everyone knew her as "Ruby's little sister." The only time boys talked to her were to ask her questions about Ruby.
“In reality I was a pencil drawing of a photocopy of a Polaroid of my sister—you could see the resemblance in a certain light if you were seeking it out because I told you first if you were being nice.”
The surreal mystery was a wonderful mix of paranormal and small-town secrets. Suma blurred the lines between reality and paranormal in a way that totally worked for me. As Chloe tried to figure out what happened at the reservoir, she slowly felt like she was going mad.
“I could see her smile. I wished I hadn’t because it was the kind of smile she never gave to me. It was a smile for a boy who wanted to know her and never would. A smile for a girl who wanted to be like her and never could be. A smile for a perfect stranger.”
Imaginary Girls was just so weird and imaginative and perfectly thrilling. This is my second book by Nova Ren Suma and I can't believe how underrated she is. Her writing is like nothing I've ever read before.
February 11, 2013
Pennsylvania was a strange state. No one knew who Ruby was.
Should you - like me - love beautiful, dream-like writing and glittering, complex characters who constantly hover just outside your grasp in a gray area between evil, half-good and plain crazy, yet do not mind not getting solid answers at all, there is a serious chance for you to fall for 'Imaginary Girls' by Nova Ren Suma.
I read the eerie, eerie debut novel featuring a tight, strange bond between two sisters, a siren-like femme fatale clutching a whole small-town in her fickle fingers, an alcoholic, hippie mother, some sexual awakening, some painful growing up and growing a conscience, a caring father, deaths, ghosts and hot, lazy summers with a Goodreads group of 'German Girls Reading English Books' - thank you, girls, for voting for this gem as our January group read; without you it would be still gathering dust on my Kindle - and I was delighted by the rich multitude of explanation possibilies the plot offered as our order-seeking minds tried to press the book into a fitting genre corner and to make sense of heroine Chloe's subjective narration. Although only a dozen readers went into discussion, a colorful palette of constructions presented itself - and almost all ideas sounded quite sound: Drugs, dreams, traumata, split personality disorders, deal-offering monsters, paranormal gifts that are limited geographically, even painfully staged pretenses of paranormal gifts to mislead and mind-control the heroine.
... To me, personally, Ruby came across like a twisted and dangerous, yet somehow caring variation of Mary Poppins. I am not exactly sure why. Probably because of her spontaneity, her cheerfulness, her firm reign, her randomly offered secret bits and pieces from her personal Knigge, or simply her magnetic personality?
The book which 'Imaginary Girls' reminded me the strongest of is my beloved 'Chime' - which is not for everyone either. Since Franny Billingsley is so slow in producing another masterpiece I can blissfully roll around in, I am happy when something remotely comparable in style turns up to entertain me in between.
You see, I am rather reluctant to issue a general recommendation, but I also do not want to leave my positive rating uncommented and my praise unuttered. You might be disappointed or frustrated, but you might also miss something unusual and great.
Should you - like me - love beautiful, dream-like writing and glittering, complex characters who constantly hover just outside your grasp in a gray area between evil, half-good and plain crazy, yet do not mind not getting solid answers at all, there is a serious chance for you to fall for 'Imaginary Girls' by Nova Ren Suma.
I read the eerie, eerie debut novel featuring a tight, strange bond between two sisters, a siren-like femme fatale clutching a whole small-town in her fickle fingers, an alcoholic, hippie mother, some sexual awakening, some painful growing up and growing a conscience, a caring father, deaths, ghosts and hot, lazy summers with a Goodreads group of 'German Girls Reading English Books' - thank you, girls, for voting for this gem as our January group read; without you it would be still gathering dust on my Kindle - and I was delighted by the rich multitude of explanation possibilies the plot offered as our order-seeking minds tried to press the book into a fitting genre corner and to make sense of heroine Chloe's subjective narration. Although only a dozen readers went into discussion, a colorful palette of constructions presented itself - and almost all ideas sounded quite sound: Drugs, dreams, traumata, split personality disorders, deal-offering monsters, paranormal gifts that are limited geographically, even painfully staged pretenses of paranormal gifts to mislead and mind-control the heroine.
... To me, personally, Ruby came across like a twisted and dangerous, yet somehow caring variation of Mary Poppins. I am not exactly sure why. Probably because of her spontaneity, her cheerfulness, her firm reign, her randomly offered secret bits and pieces from her personal Knigge, or simply her magnetic personality?
The book which 'Imaginary Girls' reminded me the strongest of is my beloved 'Chime' - which is not for everyone either. Since Franny Billingsley is so slow in producing another masterpiece I can blissfully roll around in, I am happy when something remotely comparable in style turns up to entertain me in between.
You see, I am rather reluctant to issue a general recommendation, but I also do not want to leave my positive rating uncommented and my praise unuttered. You might be disappointed or frustrated, but you might also miss something unusual and great.
April 23, 2011
I read IMAGINARY GIRLS almost entirely in one sitting. I was mesmerized by this book. The writing won me over first--so impossibly beautiful and sharp and resonant, every line leaving its mark on you long after you've moved on to the next and the next. But closely tied is the voice, which grabs hold of you from word one and just doesn't let go, not even after you close the book. Chloe is perhaps one of the strongest, most vivid narrators I've had a chance to read, insecure and awkward, flawed and tunnel-visioned in her devotion to her sister--yet not blind to the strangeness of the events around her. In fact, she's more than aware of the abnormality of the life she's sucked into as she reunites with her sister Ruby, a startling character with an intense, free spirit and beauty; and it's Chloe's consuming curiosity that will unravel the threads of Ruby and Chloe's tightly-knit world.
But things don't just come undone in one untimely moment. From the very beginning, you know that there's something dangerous lurking beneath the surface--of the reservoir and of Ruby's exterior. And from there, the intensity just doesn't stop. It's not that there's an insane amount of action. There's just this tension that builds and builds as the mystery grows bigger and bigger, and before you know it you're racing through the pages because you have to know what's going on. You just have to--just like Chloe who can't help but dig and dig even though it might mean exposing an uglier side of the one person in the world she loves most. It's such a gripping story. I whipped so fast through this, never a dull moment, but it wasn't the action that drove the pace; it was Nova Ren Suma and her masterful delivery.
I don't know that I've read anything like this in a long time. It reminded me a bit of Isabel Allende's House of Spirits or even Gabriel Garcia Marquez' One Hundred Years of Solitude. There was a strong sense of the supernatural weaved into the story as if it's just the way of things, a second plane of reality, that while questioned perhaps, doesn't jolt by virtue of it being magic, but rather shakes things up because of the consequences of it. That's the beauty of magical realism: it throws something not quite normal at you, but you sort of just run with it. You quickly get over the hurdle of the supernatural, accepting is as a part of the reality (because Chloe does). But while the subtle magic holds the eerie plot together, it's the relationship between the sisters that really drives the story and pulls the reader in. Their intense bond serves as the catalyst for the story and in an incredible twist, forces the unexpected resolution. IMAGINARY GIRLS is a fast, but haunting read, beautiful and intense throughout.
But things don't just come undone in one untimely moment. From the very beginning, you know that there's something dangerous lurking beneath the surface--of the reservoir and of Ruby's exterior. And from there, the intensity just doesn't stop. It's not that there's an insane amount of action. There's just this tension that builds and builds as the mystery grows bigger and bigger, and before you know it you're racing through the pages because you have to know what's going on. You just have to--just like Chloe who can't help but dig and dig even though it might mean exposing an uglier side of the one person in the world she loves most. It's such a gripping story. I whipped so fast through this, never a dull moment, but it wasn't the action that drove the pace; it was Nova Ren Suma and her masterful delivery.
I don't know that I've read anything like this in a long time. It reminded me a bit of Isabel Allende's House of Spirits or even Gabriel Garcia Marquez' One Hundred Years of Solitude. There was a strong sense of the supernatural weaved into the story as if it's just the way of things, a second plane of reality, that while questioned perhaps, doesn't jolt by virtue of it being magic, but rather shakes things up because of the consequences of it. That's the beauty of magical realism: it throws something not quite normal at you, but you sort of just run with it. You quickly get over the hurdle of the supernatural, accepting is as a part of the reality (because Chloe does). But while the subtle magic holds the eerie plot together, it's the relationship between the sisters that really drives the story and pulls the reader in. Their intense bond serves as the catalyst for the story and in an incredible twist, forces the unexpected resolution. IMAGINARY GIRLS is a fast, but haunting read, beautiful and intense throughout.
June 27, 2020
“There was something to be said for the bodiless feeling that came after the cold. Something I would always remember. When you forget how bad it hurts, you feel so free.”
― Nova Ren Suma, Imaginary Girls
3.5 stars.
Imaginary Girls has writing that is so exquisite, you just melt in it. This is a book I have strong mixed feelings about and I have even read it twice, trying to understand it.
The focus is on two sisters but it is so much more than that. However, as deeply hypnotic the writing is, I found myself unable to understand what was going on throughout the book.
I have talked about this book in the past and described it as, "If David Lynch wrote a book about two sisters". The scenes are so vivid in one's head but there is so much the reader does not know or understand that it is frustrating and that is the main reason for the three rating.
ENDING SPOILERS NOW:
I just do not get it. What happened? This was one of the most puzzling endings I have ever read. I don't mean the fates of Ruby and Chloe. I get that. I know, at the end, who is alive and who isn't. It's all the OTHER stuff that happens through the book. I've no idea what most, if any, of it means. I have no idea what was real and what was not. So if anyone is reading this who DOES know, PM me and let me know because I've been trying to figure it out and it is still a puzzle.
One thing that did come through was the fierce love Chloe had for Ruby. Chloe is one of the most..for lack of a better term..YEARNING characters I have ever read about. The relationship between the sisters was quite toxic but the purity of the love Chloe feels for Ruby was both bittersweet and deeply emotional. It is odd to say but I was deeply moved by Imaginary Girls even though I had no idea what the heck was going on most of the time.
It was touching and raw. But I still do not get about 90 percent of this book so that is why I say 3.5 stars. When I "get it"..if I ever do..I will bump it up to five stars.
― Nova Ren Suma, Imaginary Girls
3.5 stars.
Imaginary Girls has writing that is so exquisite, you just melt in it. This is a book I have strong mixed feelings about and I have even read it twice, trying to understand it.
The focus is on two sisters but it is so much more than that. However, as deeply hypnotic the writing is, I found myself unable to understand what was going on throughout the book.
I have talked about this book in the past and described it as, "If David Lynch wrote a book about two sisters". The scenes are so vivid in one's head but there is so much the reader does not know or understand that it is frustrating and that is the main reason for the three rating.
ENDING SPOILERS NOW:
I just do not get it. What happened? This was one of the most puzzling endings I have ever read. I don't mean the fates of Ruby and Chloe. I get that. I know, at the end, who is alive and who isn't. It's all the OTHER stuff that happens through the book. I've no idea what most, if any, of it means. I have no idea what was real and what was not. So if anyone is reading this who DOES know, PM me and let me know because I've been trying to figure it out and it is still a puzzle.
One thing that did come through was the fierce love Chloe had for Ruby. Chloe is one of the most..for lack of a better term..YEARNING characters I have ever read about. The relationship between the sisters was quite toxic but the purity of the love Chloe feels for Ruby was both bittersweet and deeply emotional. It is odd to say but I was deeply moved by Imaginary Girls even though I had no idea what the heck was going on most of the time.
It was touching and raw. But I still do not get about 90 percent of this book so that is why I say 3.5 stars. When I "get it"..if I ever do..I will bump it up to five stars.
December 26, 2012
Rating: 2.5 Stars
When it comes to Imaginary Girls, I realize that I am, as I usually wind up being, in the minority. Nova Ren Suma's debut is a beautifully written novel, one that is creepy, psychological, and will make you think. It is also, however, a novel that lacks a plot, whose characters fail to have any depth, and one that leaves you rather frustrated and puzzled at the end. Or rather, it left me feeling that way. BUT, no matter what I say in this review, you should know, first and foremost, that the experience of reading this was...something else entirely. I did like this book and although I may not have loved it, mostly because of its ending, it is one that I can't recommend enough. For once, here is a novel that you truly have to read yourself to know if you'll like it or not because for each person, this story will affect you differently, deeply, and provocatively for sure.
As I said, Imaginary Girls has no plot. It's part mystery, part psychological thriller, part creepy contemporary, and part paranormal, all rolled into one. It is the story of two half-sisters, Ruby and Chloe, who have grown up alone. Ruby and Chloe's mother is an alcoholic and, as such, it has always been Ruby who has taken care of Chloe, from the very beginning itself. Yet, the bond between these two sisters is unlike anything you've ever seen before. For Chloe and Ruby, they aren't two separate girls, they're one girl in and of themselves and the line where one ends and the other begins is utterly blurred. It is Ruby whose personality dominates, Ruby who gets her way all the time, Ruby who never has to wear a uniform to work if she doesn't want to, Ruby who can manipulate everyone to fall in love with her and do as she says, and Ruby who will never let any harm come to Chloe.
When our story begins, Chloe is swimming across a reservoir in her town, believed to be swimming over the ruins of the ancient city of Olive. As Chloe swims, she sees the dead body of her classmate, London, and in her shock and grief, she leaves her sister to live with her father. When Ruby returns for Chloe, two years later, everything is just as it is in her town. Everything, including the fact that London is, against all odds, alive. Chloe, unable to believe the truth before her eyes, that somehow, her sister Ruby has brought London back from the dead, can't help but question everything and everyone, even those she trusted and once held dear.
Needless to say, Imaginary Girls is an intriguing tale. It moves at a snail pace, but you never feel it, feeling compelled to keep the pages flipped because of the prose and the strange, hollow voice that is Chloe's. We can see that Chloe has no individuality, no personality of her own, her life so used to being dictated by Ruby. From the way this novel is written, we can see that Chloe and Ruby have a relationship that is unhealthy at best. It is strange, it is odd, and from the beginning, we ache to know what's wrong, which one of the sisters is not quite right in the head, and why. Yet, one thing you must know when you go into this novel is that you receive no answers. Sure, there are a series of plot twists towards the end that are shocking and make everything clear, but although we know the what, we never know the how or even the why.
In Imaginary Girls, Ruby is the sole character with depth. It is her that we know best, for the rest of the town is a mere echo of her. Suma weaves this purposeful and haunting feeling perfectly throughout her story and, in addition to that, she takes one step further and makes the reservoir, the forgotten city of Olive, the only other character present. It's all very creepy, very scary, and very mind-boggling. Yet, what leaves me feeling disappointed by this novel is its ambiguity. It is all very well and good for the majority of the novel and is never felt as a hindrance, but by the end, when Chloe comes to know the truth of her sister and their relationship, when she comes to know that she must leave and live her own life, she fails to do this. Ultimately, Imaginary Girls contains no hope. It is a story of siblings who are unnaturally close due to circumstance and who literally cannot live without one another; their entire lives revolve around each other and they just cannot escape.
Furthermore, it is a story that has seemingly paranormal elements, but no concrete answers. Now, I never truly require answers in a novel, just like I don't require likable characters - which this novel has none of, by the way. I guess the best way to describe this ending is to compare it to Tana French's In the Woods. French gives us no concrete answers in her novel, but she does leave us with enough information to imagine what might have happened. Suma, however, tells you exactly what did happen, but she never tells you how it was accomplished. Perhaps, ultimately, this is what she meant to achieve; this sense of creeping fear, of never knowing what Ruby or Olive or Chloe really is; of feeling despair that Chloe can't escape her fate; of feeling confusion for Ruby isn't the villain here, no one is.
As a reader, however, I wasn't satisfied. I know that many others will be, but I couldn't bring myself to finish this with peace, happiness, or enjoyment. I ended it with frustration, with feeling as if I had wasted my time, for what is the purpose of writing a novel, a beautiful novel, with no hope? What is the point of writing a contemporary novel with paranormal elements and not being able to even allude to an explanation? In my eyes, it was thrown in to make this novel all the more mesmerizing, but it was never an idea that was solidified enough to take full form as a plot thread, merely as a passing explanation of a dream. Ultimately, though, Imaginary Girls is a novel you need to experience for yourself. It wasn't for me, but it will undoubtedly be a novel for countless others and even if it isn't, it is an experience too intriguing to be missed.
When it comes to Imaginary Girls, I realize that I am, as I usually wind up being, in the minority. Nova Ren Suma's debut is a beautifully written novel, one that is creepy, psychological, and will make you think. It is also, however, a novel that lacks a plot, whose characters fail to have any depth, and one that leaves you rather frustrated and puzzled at the end. Or rather, it left me feeling that way. BUT, no matter what I say in this review, you should know, first and foremost, that the experience of reading this was...something else entirely. I did like this book and although I may not have loved it, mostly because of its ending, it is one that I can't recommend enough. For once, here is a novel that you truly have to read yourself to know if you'll like it or not because for each person, this story will affect you differently, deeply, and provocatively for sure.
As I said, Imaginary Girls has no plot. It's part mystery, part psychological thriller, part creepy contemporary, and part paranormal, all rolled into one. It is the story of two half-sisters, Ruby and Chloe, who have grown up alone. Ruby and Chloe's mother is an alcoholic and, as such, it has always been Ruby who has taken care of Chloe, from the very beginning itself. Yet, the bond between these two sisters is unlike anything you've ever seen before. For Chloe and Ruby, they aren't two separate girls, they're one girl in and of themselves and the line where one ends and the other begins is utterly blurred. It is Ruby whose personality dominates, Ruby who gets her way all the time, Ruby who never has to wear a uniform to work if she doesn't want to, Ruby who can manipulate everyone to fall in love with her and do as she says, and Ruby who will never let any harm come to Chloe.
When our story begins, Chloe is swimming across a reservoir in her town, believed to be swimming over the ruins of the ancient city of Olive. As Chloe swims, she sees the dead body of her classmate, London, and in her shock and grief, she leaves her sister to live with her father. When Ruby returns for Chloe, two years later, everything is just as it is in her town. Everything, including the fact that London is, against all odds, alive. Chloe, unable to believe the truth before her eyes, that somehow, her sister Ruby has brought London back from the dead, can't help but question everything and everyone, even those she trusted and once held dear.
Needless to say, Imaginary Girls is an intriguing tale. It moves at a snail pace, but you never feel it, feeling compelled to keep the pages flipped because of the prose and the strange, hollow voice that is Chloe's. We can see that Chloe has no individuality, no personality of her own, her life so used to being dictated by Ruby. From the way this novel is written, we can see that Chloe and Ruby have a relationship that is unhealthy at best. It is strange, it is odd, and from the beginning, we ache to know what's wrong, which one of the sisters is not quite right in the head, and why. Yet, one thing you must know when you go into this novel is that you receive no answers. Sure, there are a series of plot twists towards the end that are shocking and make everything clear, but although we know the what, we never know the how or even the why.
In Imaginary Girls, Ruby is the sole character with depth. It is her that we know best, for the rest of the town is a mere echo of her. Suma weaves this purposeful and haunting feeling perfectly throughout her story and, in addition to that, she takes one step further and makes the reservoir, the forgotten city of Olive, the only other character present. It's all very creepy, very scary, and very mind-boggling. Yet, what leaves me feeling disappointed by this novel is its ambiguity. It is all very well and good for the majority of the novel and is never felt as a hindrance, but by the end, when Chloe comes to know the truth of her sister and their relationship, when she comes to know that she must leave and live her own life, she fails to do this. Ultimately, Imaginary Girls contains no hope. It is a story of siblings who are unnaturally close due to circumstance and who literally cannot live without one another; their entire lives revolve around each other and they just cannot escape.
Furthermore, it is a story that has seemingly paranormal elements, but no concrete answers. Now, I never truly require answers in a novel, just like I don't require likable characters - which this novel has none of, by the way. I guess the best way to describe this ending is to compare it to Tana French's In the Woods. French gives us no concrete answers in her novel, but she does leave us with enough information to imagine what might have happened. Suma, however, tells you exactly what did happen, but she never tells you how it was accomplished. Perhaps, ultimately, this is what she meant to achieve; this sense of creeping fear, of never knowing what Ruby or Olive or Chloe really is; of feeling despair that Chloe can't escape her fate; of feeling confusion for Ruby isn't the villain here, no one is.
As a reader, however, I wasn't satisfied. I know that many others will be, but I couldn't bring myself to finish this with peace, happiness, or enjoyment. I ended it with frustration, with feeling as if I had wasted my time, for what is the purpose of writing a novel, a beautiful novel, with no hope? What is the point of writing a contemporary novel with paranormal elements and not being able to even allude to an explanation? In my eyes, it was thrown in to make this novel all the more mesmerizing, but it was never an idea that was solidified enough to take full form as a plot thread, merely as a passing explanation of a dream. Ultimately, though, Imaginary Girls is a novel you need to experience for yourself. It wasn't for me, but it will undoubtedly be a novel for countless others and even if it isn't, it is an experience too intriguing to be missed.
August 20, 2011
IMAGINARY GIRLS isn’t worth any Printz, but it certainly brought something fresh to YA, something that kept me up at night, checking the shadowy corners of my room to make sure I wasn’t being watched by some random, beautiful girl .
A summary won’t do this book justice, but I’m also not attempting one because I don’t actually know how to describe this book. There isn’t really even a legitimate plot – basically, the narrator is Chloe, the main character is her older sister Ruby, and we just follow the two sisters as a dead girl comes back into their lives, a reservoir on the edge of their property slithers closer, and their entire town does anything Ruby says. It doesn't sound like much, but it truly is something else.
Ruby and Chloe had a fascinating relationship. Ruby took to new levels being a “bossy big sister,” and Chloe went to extremes to follow along with her. I found it – at first and way before I realized what Ruby really was up to – difficult to comprehend as well as unrealistic the way that Chloe would, for example, jump into the water in the dead of night, practically naked, for no reason, just because Ruby wanted to show her off. Of course, my doubt faded away eventually, as it should have, and yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Chloe was just a follower to Ruby’s strangeness. Ruby as a character on her own held the book - she was creepy, and yet, she lit up the pages and became actually likable unlike Chloe, who was a Mary Jane puppy dog and absolutely nothing special on her own.
I like the way Nova Ren Suma wrote the relationship between Ruby and her town - I just thought it was original and haunting the way boys would follow her even though she'd broken their hearts, the way girls were desperate to be her no matter how unhappy she really obviously was. I felt, as the book winded down, the significance of the title - like I was living in a little girl's imagination that had somehow, maybe when wished upon a birthday candle or bright star, come true. Reading IMAGINARY GIRLS is like living in the mind of someone else. Actually, that's probably the best way to put this book: you're living in a version of Wonderland run by the Queen of Hearts, for whom you must do absolutely anything she asks.
The way Owen - who I wouldn't consider a love interest, although I wouldn't consider him an evil jerk, either - and Chloe adapted to each other, and the way they were written together...I wouldn't have been able to ask for more. You have to read them together to know what I mean, just like you'd have to read this book to actually understand what's going on. (To give you an idea of their relationship, just think hate sex.)
My biggest complaint would be that I, unlike others, didn't appreciate Nova Ren Suma's prose. At all. It was purpely to me - I like purple, but this was purple to the EXTREMES - and very hard to follow at times. She was always going off on one important tangent, just to bring in some piece of the past, just to go back and leave the reader in the dark. Her similes and metaphors were unappealing and unneeded, and every. single. phrase. had to be described in minute detail. The beginning was also very uncompromisable, and I'd have given up on this book if it hadn't been for all those good reviews. Next time, I'd like to see more action and intensity along with the flowery descriptions and analyses.
There's not really much to say about this book, actually. It just sort of needs to be read. It's frighteningly artistic - I thought Nova Ren Suma had twisted the entire frame of happily ever after so that it looked like something from Pan's Labyrinth - it's loving - Ruby and Chloe take blood to a whole new level - and it's mysterious. I recommend this book to those in the YA audience who aren't scared easily because IMAGINARY GIRLS brings a whole new definition to creepy.
A summary won’t do this book justice, but I’m also not attempting one because I don’t actually know how to describe this book. There isn’t really even a legitimate plot – basically, the narrator is Chloe, the main character is her older sister Ruby, and we just follow the two sisters as a dead girl comes back into their lives, a reservoir on the edge of their property slithers closer, and their entire town does anything Ruby says. It doesn't sound like much, but it truly is something else.
Ruby and Chloe had a fascinating relationship. Ruby took to new levels being a “bossy big sister,” and Chloe went to extremes to follow along with her. I found it – at first and way before I realized what Ruby really was up to – difficult to comprehend as well as unrealistic the way that Chloe would, for example, jump into the water in the dead of night, practically naked, for no reason, just because Ruby wanted to show her off. Of course, my doubt faded away eventually, as it should have, and yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Chloe was just a follower to Ruby’s strangeness. Ruby as a character on her own held the book - she was creepy, and yet, she lit up the pages and became actually likable unlike Chloe, who was a Mary Jane puppy dog and absolutely nothing special on her own.
I like the way Nova Ren Suma wrote the relationship between Ruby and her town - I just thought it was original and haunting the way boys would follow her even though she'd broken their hearts, the way girls were desperate to be her no matter how unhappy she really obviously was. I felt, as the book winded down, the significance of the title - like I was living in a little girl's imagination that had somehow, maybe when wished upon a birthday candle or bright star, come true. Reading IMAGINARY GIRLS is like living in the mind of someone else. Actually, that's probably the best way to put this book: you're living in a version of Wonderland run by the Queen of Hearts, for whom you must do absolutely anything she asks.
The way Owen - who I wouldn't consider a love interest, although I wouldn't consider him an evil jerk, either - and Chloe adapted to each other, and the way they were written together...I wouldn't have been able to ask for more. You have to read them together to know what I mean, just like you'd have to read this book to actually understand what's going on. (To give you an idea of their relationship, just think hate sex.)
My biggest complaint would be that I, unlike others, didn't appreciate Nova Ren Suma's prose. At all. It was purpely to me - I like purple, but this was purple to the EXTREMES - and very hard to follow at times. She was always going off on one important tangent, just to bring in some piece of the past, just to go back and leave the reader in the dark. Her similes and metaphors were unappealing and unneeded, and every. single. phrase. had to be described in minute detail. The beginning was also very uncompromisable, and I'd have given up on this book if it hadn't been for all those good reviews. Next time, I'd like to see more action and intensity along with the flowery descriptions and analyses.
There's not really much to say about this book, actually. It just sort of needs to be read. It's frighteningly artistic - I thought Nova Ren Suma had twisted the entire frame of happily ever after so that it looked like something from Pan's Labyrinth - it's loving - Ruby and Chloe take blood to a whole new level - and it's mysterious. I recommend this book to those in the YA audience who aren't scared easily because IMAGINARY GIRLS brings a whole new definition to creepy.
June 6, 2011
Penguin Young Readers Group has been extremely gracious to allow me to read an ARC of this novel, via Netgalley, prior to its release on 6/14/11, and I’m sorry to say that this novel just wasn’t for me. I always finish a book once I start it, but I have to admit, I was sorely tempted to put this book down and move onto something else more my taste. I’m not sure what it was exactly about this novel that made me dislike it, but I do know that Chloe’s unhealthy worship of her older sister bored me. As I read, I felt like all Chloe did was talk about how great her sister, Ruby, was, and since I didn’t agree, it sort of struck a nerve. I don’t have any sisters, so maybe it’s just a personal thing that I can’t understand, but I found Chloe somewhat annoying and very naïve, which is not a quality I look for in my heroines. I also didn’t think Ruby was a very likable character. While it seems that she is worshipped by all boys, and obviously her little sister Chloe, I didn’t see any redeeming qualities in Ruby, and truth be told, I found her quite psychotic and obnoxious.
To read my full review (6/14):
http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
To read my full review (6/14):
http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
October 9, 2011
Imaginary Girls is one of those books reviewers cringe about after reading the first page, because they can tell it's going to be one of those books. One reason I will have an extremely hard time reviewing this book is because I'm still pretty unclear about most of the book.
Nova Ren Suma's writing is the most exquisite form of gorgeous -- it's kind of like drinking the most expensive, most pure bottled water instead of filling a cup with tap water. It's inspiring, amazing, and scintillating. I can't wait for future releases of hers. I will surely buy each and every one.
The central theme of Imaginary Girls is the complex sisterhood the main character, Chloe, and Ruby share -- all the ups, the downs and the secrets they have naturally as sisters. They have a rare bond that only sisters can have, and that's displayed well in the book by the author.
The plot moves relatively slow, but Ms. Suma's prose saves the day. If her prose weren't as marvelous as it is, and when I say marvelous, I mean marvelous, the book's plot would collapse and rot like a burning house. In fact, there isn't really a plot. Nothing happens. All the book is composed of is a pair of sisters, some [censored not necessarily for spoilers], and a reservoir that conceals the flooded town of Olive. But it's okay, because the writing is all that matters.
According to Ruby's myths, the town of Olive was bought out to be turned into a reservoir, and the residents of the town apparently didn't see a need to leave, which plays into the mystery of the story, including the body she found. Throughout the book, Suma leads you to believe one thing, and it's actually quite the opposite. Only strong writers can coerce you in this way.
To everyone who didn't already get the memo in the five-plus paragraphs of this review already written, Nova Ren Suma's prose is freaking brilliant and made me shit bricks.
The plot of this book in certain places makes me go
.
This rest of this book (especially its prose) makes me go
.
Imaginary Girls is haunting, truly, and it's a book you won't soon forget. The thing I like the most about Imaginary Girls (besides its prose) is how Ms. Suma doesn't answer every question presented. Books like that are very appealing to me, because sometimes I'm not looking for a clear-cut, everything-is-roses happy ending and I want a little more . . . or, more specifically, a little less.
It's official: I will buy anything this lady's name is stamped on.
Nova Ren Suma's writing is the most exquisite form of gorgeous -- it's kind of like drinking the most expensive, most pure bottled water instead of filling a cup with tap water. It's inspiring, amazing, and scintillating. I can't wait for future releases of hers. I will surely buy each and every one.
The central theme of Imaginary Girls is the complex sisterhood the main character, Chloe, and Ruby share -- all the ups, the downs and the secrets they have naturally as sisters. They have a rare bond that only sisters can have, and that's displayed well in the book by the author.
The plot moves relatively slow, but Ms. Suma's prose saves the day. If her prose weren't as marvelous as it is, and when I say marvelous, I mean marvelous, the book's plot would collapse and rot like a burning house. In fact, there isn't really a plot. Nothing happens. All the book is composed of is a pair of sisters, some [censored not necessarily for spoilers], and a reservoir that conceals the flooded town of Olive. But it's okay, because the writing is all that matters.
According to Ruby's myths, the town of Olive was bought out to be turned into a reservoir, and the residents of the town apparently didn't see a need to leave, which plays into the mystery of the story, including the body she found. Throughout the book, Suma leads you to believe one thing, and it's actually quite the opposite. Only strong writers can coerce you in this way.
To everyone who didn't already get the memo in the five-plus paragraphs of this review already written, Nova Ren Suma's prose is freaking brilliant and made me shit bricks.
The plot of this book in certain places makes me go
.This rest of this book (especially its prose) makes me go
.Imaginary Girls is haunting, truly, and it's a book you won't soon forget. The thing I like the most about Imaginary Girls (besides its prose) is how Ms. Suma doesn't answer every question presented. Books like that are very appealing to me, because sometimes I'm not looking for a clear-cut, everything-is-roses happy ending and I want a little more . . . or, more specifically, a little less.
It's official: I will buy anything this lady's name is stamped on.
July 8, 2011
I wanted to like this book more than I did. Unfortunately, the beauty of the language, the wonderful specificity of details that made it so lyrical and visual couldn't account for the lack of characterization or plot resolution. Ruby and Chloe's sister relationship never came alive or seemed real to me, though there were hints that it could rise to the occassion once they started hiding secrets from one another. London was the most interesting character. And the girls mom should have either been cut entirely or we should have gotten more from the scenes that she was in. Ruby would have benefitted from a variety of views about her a la Olive Kittredge -- there is a scene with Chloe, London and the boys out driving in which they begin to talk negatively about Ruby and I had hope she'd become a more well rounded person rather than this fantasy/projection. I did appreciate the way the paranormal/supernatural aspects were woven into the story rather than spelled out -- it really kept me interested in WHAT gave Ruby her power. The lack of resolution though made it more of a tease and in the end led me to feel let down.
Shelved as 'dnf'
August 22, 2016this has been sitting on my currently reading shelf for almost 5 months and i just have no interest anymore...i skipped to the end and i totally guessed right anyway. oh well. i think i'll have better luck with nova's other books as they seem more interesting than this one. dnf'ed June 2016
August 28, 2011
Chloe and Ruby are the closest sisters possibly imagined. Abandoned by both their fathers and having a mutual good-for-nothing mother, the half-sisters live on their own; Ruby making dues at the convenience store where she works. She holds a deep, disturbing power over the entire town, everyone treating her like a celebrity and inexplicably bending to her every whim. Even Chloe, a shadow of her sister, adores her and protects Ruby's reputation like a good younger sibling should.
But a death of a local girl, London, sends Chloe away from home - and it is only two years later when Ruby suddenly re-enters into her life and takes her back to the town, where it seems nothing had changed, except for London's death.
Plot
I'll be honest, the title had me thinking I'd be reading a psychological thriller sort of book. You know, the kind that ends in a sudden revelation of everything being a figment of some whacko's schizophrenia or some such condition. I was expecting Ruby to be more a manipulative kind - someone whose every wish is fulfilled by sheer charm and charisma and a way with words that trick people into doing things for you. But throughout the course of the book, it became evident that her power over the townspeople was something more supernatural. I was equally surprised to find the "death" of London Hayes to have similar supernatural roots.
I should have read the description of the book; while I was expecting a clean, mystery/thriller read, it was clearly stated as a paranormal mystery - so this was my fault.
But I had no problem with the supernatural themes. In fact, I love me a good magical read. What got to me was that there were just so many questions at the end of this novel that weren't answered. Although that leaves an air of mystery, to me it just didn't give any plot resolution; what was behind Ruby's power? Why was Owen the only one unaffected by it?
I also found myself wondering over the relation of time and space their little town/village had compared to the "outside" world. Another question that kept scratching at my brain was how on earth does a dead girl re-appear full in the flesh, alive and breathing, yet nobody questions it? SHE HAD A FREAKING OBITUARY FOR FUCKITY FUCK'S SAKE!! Everyone seems to have "forgotten" where she'd been, what had happened to her - even herself - and yet if an entire town was struck down in such mass amnesia, how is it that nobody suspects anything or starts asking questions? What about London's parents??
I think that was the main problem for me - the suspension of disbelief simply stretched too far.
I also cannot fully appreciate stories with obvious missing authoritative figures. I understand that they're living in a small town/village (not sure, actually), but that does not account for the lack of parental supervision, law enforcement, etc. And I'm not just talking about Ruby and Chloe's mother, I'm also referring to Chloe's father. She just ran away from home, she's not answering/replying her texts and phone calls, yet never once he thought of looking for her at her sister's place? I'm simply amazed.
Characters
I know I'm supposed to feel some sort of sympathy for the end of the book, but I just simply couldn't care less. Ruby, profoundly caring of her sister as she is, was a downright bitch to everyone else. Although Ruby was an intense character, (often I even find hints of a mad woman in her,) I just couldn't catch any spectacular personality from Chloe. Her entire life, it seems, is spent just looking up to her sister, how wonderful her sister is, how beautiful, how smart, how no one knows her as well as she did - it simply revolved around Ruby.
I couldn't understand her extreme dedication for her older sister. Yes, I know the only person to have ever cared and looked after her was Ruby, but after two years of being separated and not a single phone call, I'd start to feel slighted.
Owen was an interesting character until his innate assholeness sparked up in the car. After that I couldn't care less whether he lived or died.
His brother, Pete - I don't know where to start. He's just that lovesick puppy that follows you around everywhere. His character was literally there to simply please Ruby.
London was ... strange. Yes, dying would cause that. She didn't seem to have much of a character. In fact none of in fact seemed to have much of a character, until the short scene when the car was headed out of town.
So perhaps we can blame these lackluster characters on Ruby. Not only does her presence suppress all free will, it also turns people into bland, cardboard cut-outs. They remind me disturbingly of the "Others" in Coraline.
Writing
Now I've read rave reviews about the prose to be hauntingly beautiful - and yes it was haunting - but it was also slow. I'd be reading through it and sometimes thinking "Just get on with it!"
I also thought it a little too purpley at times, with long, winding descriptions of past events at such inconvenient moments, and heavy use of metaphors that I wouldn't expect coming from a sixteen year-old narrator.
It was a very surreal read. Half the time I'm wondering if indeed something magical is afoot, or if the entire town was just a bunch of delusional potheads. I think a lot of subjective interpretation is also necessary in understanding Imaginary Girls as a whole, making it more suitable for a more mature target audience.
An extra star goes for the general idea behind the book, which really had me interested in reading it. I was not as pleased with the execution of it as I would have liked, though.
But a death of a local girl, London, sends Chloe away from home - and it is only two years later when Ruby suddenly re-enters into her life and takes her back to the town, where it seems nothing had changed, except for London's death.
Plot
I'll be honest, the title had me thinking I'd be reading a psychological thriller sort of book. You know, the kind that ends in a sudden revelation of everything being a figment of some whacko's schizophrenia or some such condition. I was expecting Ruby to be more a manipulative kind - someone whose every wish is fulfilled by sheer charm and charisma and a way with words that trick people into doing things for you. But throughout the course of the book, it became evident that her power over the townspeople was something more supernatural. I was equally surprised to find the "death" of London Hayes to have similar supernatural roots.
I should have read the description of the book; while I was expecting a clean, mystery/thriller read, it was clearly stated as a paranormal mystery - so this was my fault.
But I had no problem with the supernatural themes. In fact, I love me a good magical read. What got to me was that there were just so many questions at the end of this novel that weren't answered. Although that leaves an air of mystery, to me it just didn't give any plot resolution; what was behind Ruby's power? Why was Owen the only one unaffected by it?
I also found myself wondering over the relation of time and space their little town/village had compared to the "outside" world. Another question that kept scratching at my brain was how on earth does a dead girl re-appear full in the flesh, alive and breathing, yet nobody questions it? SHE HAD A FREAKING OBITUARY FOR FUCKITY FUCK'S SAKE!! Everyone seems to have "forgotten" where she'd been, what had happened to her - even herself - and yet if an entire town was struck down in such mass amnesia, how is it that nobody suspects anything or starts asking questions? What about London's parents??
I think that was the main problem for me - the suspension of disbelief simply stretched too far.
I also cannot fully appreciate stories with obvious missing authoritative figures. I understand that they're living in a small town/village (not sure, actually), but that does not account for the lack of parental supervision, law enforcement, etc. And I'm not just talking about Ruby and Chloe's mother, I'm also referring to Chloe's father. She just ran away from home, she's not answering/replying her texts and phone calls, yet never once he thought of looking for her at her sister's place? I'm simply amazed.
Characters
I know I'm supposed to feel some sort of sympathy for the end of the book, but I just simply couldn't care less. Ruby, profoundly caring of her sister as she is, was a downright bitch to everyone else. Although Ruby was an intense character, (often I even find hints of a mad woman in her,) I just couldn't catch any spectacular personality from Chloe. Her entire life, it seems, is spent just looking up to her sister, how wonderful her sister is, how beautiful, how smart, how no one knows her as well as she did - it simply revolved around Ruby.
I couldn't understand her extreme dedication for her older sister. Yes, I know the only person to have ever cared and looked after her was Ruby, but after two years of being separated and not a single phone call, I'd start to feel slighted.
Owen was an interesting character until his innate assholeness sparked up in the car. After that I couldn't care less whether he lived or died.
His brother, Pete - I don't know where to start. He's just that lovesick puppy that follows you around everywhere. His character was literally there to simply please Ruby.
London was ... strange. Yes, dying would cause that. She didn't seem to have much of a character. In fact none of in fact seemed to have much of a character, until the short scene when the car was headed out of town.
So perhaps we can blame these lackluster characters on Ruby. Not only does her presence suppress all free will, it also turns people into bland, cardboard cut-outs. They remind me disturbingly of the "Others" in Coraline.
Writing
Now I've read rave reviews about the prose to be hauntingly beautiful - and yes it was haunting - but it was also slow. I'd be reading through it and sometimes thinking "Just get on with it!"
I also thought it a little too purpley at times, with long, winding descriptions of past events at such inconvenient moments, and heavy use of metaphors that I wouldn't expect coming from a sixteen year-old narrator.
It was a very surreal read. Half the time I'm wondering if indeed something magical is afoot, or if the entire town was just a bunch of delusional potheads. I think a lot of subjective interpretation is also necessary in understanding Imaginary Girls as a whole, making it more suitable for a more mature target audience.
An extra star goes for the general idea behind the book, which really had me interested in reading it. I was not as pleased with the execution of it as I would have liked, though.
August 19, 2011
It's been about a week since I read this, and I'm still not quite sure what to make of it. I don't even know how many stars to give it. I originally gave it 4 ... and then I bumped it down to 3 ... and now I'm bumping it back up to 4 again. Ack. I guess it would be at a 3.5?
Well, let's just say this book is confusing as heck.
As with many YA books nowadays, I wanted to read this because I thought the cover looked super cool. I'm also following Nova Ren Suma on Twitter and she seems like quite a lovely person. I didn't really know what this book was going to be about, except for that it involved something about sisterhood. So I was like, sure why not? I like stories about sisterhood.
This book was ... not what I expected, in both good ways and not-so-good ways. If you, like me, pick this up assuming it's realistic fiction––I'll tell you now, it isn't. It's hard to put this book in a category, but I suppose it would fall under fantasy realism or surrealism. It's a bit hard to tell whether it's all real, or all imagined, or ... what.
Okay, here's the story:
16-year-old Chloe and her sister Ruby are very close, despite being only half-siblings. Chloe is the more subdued one, while Ruby is the popular type––everyone just adores Ruby. She attracts people like flies. Yet, she can never seem to last in relationships long. Ruby and Chloe live near a reservoir, which was once a town called Olive. Ruby claims that Olive and its people are still living there, under the water. At a party, Ruby dares Chloe to swim across the reservoir and bring back something from Olive. But when Chloe begins to swim across, she finds a dead body floating in the water––the body of a girl she knows from school named London Hayes.
Chloe goes to live with her father, away from Ruby, for two years. Then Ruby shows up one day and begs Chloe to come back home. Upon returning home, Chloe finds out ... well, that something very creepy and unexpected is going on––something only Chloe and Ruby can see.
I'm not going to spoil the story, but as I said, it surprised me. On one hand, this was a good thing. I like to be shocked. I like to be kept on my toes and in suspense. I was flying through the pages, wondering what on earth was going on.
The main problem was, I never quite did figure out what was going on. Although Ms. Suma weaves a very captivating and strange story, she kind of leaves the reader in the dark without offering much explanation. By the end, I thought I had it figured out––but even then, I was left wondering how and why. Let's just say, one of the characters has an unnatural ability, and this ability's origins are never really illuminated. It's explained loosely that, somehow, the power comes from the people of Olive (if they really exist), but other than that the reader is left rather puzzled as to why this is so, and why they chose this particular person.
Another thing that bothered me was, I felt that teens were being stereotyped throughout the story. This is one of my pet peeves. Ruby was pretty much the only character I was interested in. Chloe and the rest of the characters seemed too preoccupied doing drugs and such, and weren't fleshed out to my satisfaction. I would have liked to have seen a bit more personality in the characters, but their lives seemed to consist of, "Hey, let's go to this place and smoke weed. Hey, let's go to this other place and smoke some more weed." Sigh ...
However, I did like the relationship between Chloe and Ruby. As someone who has three sisters, it's something I can relate to. There's one point where Ruby describes the feeling of letting your sister down, or letting something bad happen to your sister, and what a horrible feeling it is. That really got to me. Of course, I'm leaving for college soon so lately I've been feeling bad about leaving all my siblings behind. *Sniffles* But I know Suma herself has a younger sister, and she describes the bond of sisterhood perfectly. Ruby will do anything to protect Chloe, and her determination and desperation to do so are very clear and believable.
I also loved Suma's writing style. Even if you're not intrigued by the idea of the plot, the writing is very nice. Suma's descriptions are wonderful, and the book left me with a lot of memorable images.
This isn't the best book I've ever read. But I do recommend it. It's mysterious, it's well-written, and it'll keep you thinking.
Well, let's just say this book is confusing as heck.
As with many YA books nowadays, I wanted to read this because I thought the cover looked super cool. I'm also following Nova Ren Suma on Twitter and she seems like quite a lovely person. I didn't really know what this book was going to be about, except for that it involved something about sisterhood. So I was like, sure why not? I like stories about sisterhood.
This book was ... not what I expected, in both good ways and not-so-good ways. If you, like me, pick this up assuming it's realistic fiction––I'll tell you now, it isn't. It's hard to put this book in a category, but I suppose it would fall under fantasy realism or surrealism. It's a bit hard to tell whether it's all real, or all imagined, or ... what.
Okay, here's the story:
16-year-old Chloe and her sister Ruby are very close, despite being only half-siblings. Chloe is the more subdued one, while Ruby is the popular type––everyone just adores Ruby. She attracts people like flies. Yet, she can never seem to last in relationships long. Ruby and Chloe live near a reservoir, which was once a town called Olive. Ruby claims that Olive and its people are still living there, under the water. At a party, Ruby dares Chloe to swim across the reservoir and bring back something from Olive. But when Chloe begins to swim across, she finds a dead body floating in the water––the body of a girl she knows from school named London Hayes.
Chloe goes to live with her father, away from Ruby, for two years. Then Ruby shows up one day and begs Chloe to come back home. Upon returning home, Chloe finds out ... well, that something very creepy and unexpected is going on––something only Chloe and Ruby can see.
I'm not going to spoil the story, but as I said, it surprised me. On one hand, this was a good thing. I like to be shocked. I like to be kept on my toes and in suspense. I was flying through the pages, wondering what on earth was going on.
The main problem was, I never quite did figure out what was going on. Although Ms. Suma weaves a very captivating and strange story, she kind of leaves the reader in the dark without offering much explanation. By the end, I thought I had it figured out––but even then, I was left wondering how and why. Let's just say, one of the characters has an unnatural ability, and this ability's origins are never really illuminated. It's explained loosely that, somehow, the power comes from the people of Olive (if they really exist), but other than that the reader is left rather puzzled as to why this is so, and why they chose this particular person.
Another thing that bothered me was, I felt that teens were being stereotyped throughout the story. This is one of my pet peeves. Ruby was pretty much the only character I was interested in. Chloe and the rest of the characters seemed too preoccupied doing drugs and such, and weren't fleshed out to my satisfaction. I would have liked to have seen a bit more personality in the characters, but their lives seemed to consist of, "Hey, let's go to this place and smoke weed. Hey, let's go to this other place and smoke some more weed." Sigh ...
However, I did like the relationship between Chloe and Ruby. As someone who has three sisters, it's something I can relate to. There's one point where Ruby describes the feeling of letting your sister down, or letting something bad happen to your sister, and what a horrible feeling it is. That really got to me. Of course, I'm leaving for college soon so lately I've been feeling bad about leaving all my siblings behind. *Sniffles* But I know Suma herself has a younger sister, and she describes the bond of sisterhood perfectly. Ruby will do anything to protect Chloe, and her determination and desperation to do so are very clear and believable.
I also loved Suma's writing style. Even if you're not intrigued by the idea of the plot, the writing is very nice. Suma's descriptions are wonderful, and the book left me with a lot of memorable images.
This isn't the best book I've ever read. But I do recommend it. It's mysterious, it's well-written, and it'll keep you thinking.
April 28, 2011
Reading is subjective, we all know that... And I have to make it clear how much I HATE giving bad reviews (seriously dude.) even more than I hate giving negative reviews... I HATE not finishing a book. It's like going out of town, but not taking my red stilettos in case of an emergency. Unacceptable.
That being said- I had my first DNF of 2011. *sad face* It also happened to be my very first ARC. *epic sad face*
My review:
I don't enjoy books that HINT around things, it's like turning in circles until you eventually get so dizzy you fall down (or puke... whatevs) It's one thing if I'm getting a bunch of details and facts, then it's my job to string them all together and figure out what's going on (genre=mystery) but otherwise I'm extremely irritated.
The entire first chapter (20 pages) was a big 'HUH?'! I kept waiting for something (anything) to make sense... It didn't. So I went back and RE-READ the first chapter thinking,
"Okay lady, you're a freak and must've missed something insanely vital."
I didn't. The first 10 pages drone on and on about this reservoir and how RUBY says Chloe can swim it... How RUBY says that there is a hidden town at the bottom... If RUBY says it, then it is absolutely true... RUBY would never let anything happen... RUBY says Chloe could swim the ocean and back...
Dear God! I GET it... You're an awesome swimmer and the reservoir's creepy. Move on! Were you as tired of reading Ruby's name as I was of typing it?
By page 50, basically ALL we've learned is that Ruby is flipping amazing. She's perfect, she's beautiful, no one would dare tell Ruby no, the corner store only sells her shade of lipstick to her... blah, blah, Ruby-blah. Ooookay, so Ruby is famous is a small town. Awesome- I got that by page 10, I surely didn't need another 40 pages to convince me.
I only got 90 pages in before finally giving up on this book... I think I gave it an ample chance don't you??? I honestly tried.
Here's a 'mini' synopsis of the sub-plot- you know when we weren't hearing about Ruby that is.
Chloe is swimming in the reservoir during some party and finds a dead chick in a boat. Apparently this particular chick was depressed and sat in the back of Chloe's French class. They weren't friends... they never really even spoke.
Chloe leaves. What? Why? I get that finding a dead body isn't exactly a positive situation... but to leave you sister (RUBY), who is like heaven on Earth and the only family you've got- to live with your dad that ran out on you when you were like 2? I see no reason for it, it's ridiculous.
I could see if Chloe hated her life, or if she even knew the dead chick... or at the very least had some sort of relationship with her dad for God's sake. Nope, she did it just for the sake of the story apparently.
Fast forward 2 years (4 pages) and Ruby mysteriously shows up at Chloe's dad's house demanding that he let her return home with her. TWO years later. No phone calls. No letters. A few texts though. What?
Chloe runs away 3 weeks later to go to Ruby. Her dad won't put two and two together or what? She gets to town, texts Ruby and nothing. Ruby doesn't answer, but sends an ex-boyfriend to pick Chloe up from the station. They go to a party and guess who is there... the dead girl all alive and well.
Are you kidding me? Really? Then why didn't Ruby just freaking SAY something and save everyone all this trouble. So she didn't die... And? People 'almost' die all the time. Over-doses, strokes, heart attacks, drowning... I mean, it's not that huge of a thing.
This is where I quit because I couldn't take it anymore. I tried to detail WHY I didn't like it so it wasn't like I randomly said,
"Epic fail to this one!"
I can totally see why this may appeal to a lot of people, sadly I'm not one of them.
That being said- I had my first DNF of 2011. *sad face* It also happened to be my very first ARC. *epic sad face*
My review:
I don't enjoy books that HINT around things, it's like turning in circles until you eventually get so dizzy you fall down (or puke... whatevs) It's one thing if I'm getting a bunch of details and facts, then it's my job to string them all together and figure out what's going on (genre=mystery) but otherwise I'm extremely irritated.
The entire first chapter (20 pages) was a big 'HUH?'! I kept waiting for something (anything) to make sense... It didn't. So I went back and RE-READ the first chapter thinking,
"Okay lady, you're a freak and must've missed something insanely vital."
I didn't. The first 10 pages drone on and on about this reservoir and how RUBY says Chloe can swim it... How RUBY says that there is a hidden town at the bottom... If RUBY says it, then it is absolutely true... RUBY would never let anything happen... RUBY says Chloe could swim the ocean and back...
Dear God! I GET it... You're an awesome swimmer and the reservoir's creepy. Move on! Were you as tired of reading Ruby's name as I was of typing it?
By page 50, basically ALL we've learned is that Ruby is flipping amazing. She's perfect, she's beautiful, no one would dare tell Ruby no, the corner store only sells her shade of lipstick to her... blah, blah, Ruby-blah. Ooookay, so Ruby is famous is a small town. Awesome- I got that by page 10, I surely didn't need another 40 pages to convince me.
I only got 90 pages in before finally giving up on this book... I think I gave it an ample chance don't you??? I honestly tried.
Here's a 'mini' synopsis of the sub-plot- you know when we weren't hearing about Ruby that is.
Chloe is swimming in the reservoir during some party and finds a dead chick in a boat. Apparently this particular chick was depressed and sat in the back of Chloe's French class. They weren't friends... they never really even spoke.
Chloe leaves. What? Why? I get that finding a dead body isn't exactly a positive situation... but to leave you sister (RUBY), who is like heaven on Earth and the only family you've got- to live with your dad that ran out on you when you were like 2? I see no reason for it, it's ridiculous.
I could see if Chloe hated her life, or if she even knew the dead chick... or at the very least had some sort of relationship with her dad for God's sake. Nope, she did it just for the sake of the story apparently.
Fast forward 2 years (4 pages) and Ruby mysteriously shows up at Chloe's dad's house demanding that he let her return home with her. TWO years later. No phone calls. No letters. A few texts though. What?
Chloe runs away 3 weeks later to go to Ruby. Her dad won't put two and two together or what? She gets to town, texts Ruby and nothing. Ruby doesn't answer, but sends an ex-boyfriend to pick Chloe up from the station. They go to a party and guess who is there... the dead girl all alive and well.
Are you kidding me? Really? Then why didn't Ruby just freaking SAY something and save everyone all this trouble. So she didn't die... And? People 'almost' die all the time. Over-doses, strokes, heart attacks, drowning... I mean, it's not that huge of a thing.
This is where I quit because I couldn't take it anymore. I tried to detail WHY I didn't like it so it wasn't like I randomly said,
"Epic fail to this one!"
I can totally see why this may appeal to a lot of people, sadly I'm not one of them.
June 18, 2013
I just finished this book. Like, about five minutes ago. And I have so many thoughts swirling in my mind that I am not sure I will be able to give the book the careful deconstruction it deserves. However, while this may be an emotive review, it will also be a very honest one.
I started reading Imaginary Girls with two thoughts in my mind: one, I really like the cover (and now that I have read the novel, it makes so much more sense) and two, I really like books that explore sisterhood. I feel that relationships between girls are not genuinely explored in YA literature. As in friendships, familial relationships, these things are usually sacrificed to assemble stereotypes of haughty, evil cheerleaders and nice and sweet main characters. This works if we are looking for fairytales but when you are thinking about real life… it becomes a bit more complicated. First of all, let’s consider how we would categorize Imaginary Girls. What I can tell you most definitely right now is that it’s not a paranormal fantasy/romance. It is also not totally contemporary. What the book does is take elements of both genres and marries them together to create a book that is liberally dosed with atmosphere and tense anticipation. I would say magical realism but I really am not too familiar with the technique so you can refute my claim.
The relationship between Ruby and Chloe is the basis of the story. It is not a relationship that is neat, that you can divide into good and bad. It certainly is complex but even then, it is complex in a way that makes it impossible to look at it in objective terms. Is Ruby bad for her sister? Perhaps. Is Chloe better off without her? Maybe. However, the way in which the story is written, portraying as it does Ruby’s dedication to Chloe, her willingness to sacrifice everything (everyone?) to keep Chloe happy makes the reader unwilling to paint Ruby as totally black. While Chloe is the main narrator of the story, it is Ruby who will have the bulk of your attention. She is such a fascinating character: caustic at times, cruel and magical. I think the only thing that redeems her as a character is her love for Chloe.
I have to commend the author on the atmosphere of the story. Throughout the entire book, as though I was watching some noir movie, there was this shortness of breath, this hint of danger pervading the pages, auguring some sort of upheaval. The reservoir was not just a setting but it became a character: malevolent and waiting. It was fantastic.
I understand why the romance was there but I didn’t think it was too necessary. It did add some interesting textures to the story and reveal facets about Ruby but I’m still not entirely sold on it. The ending is interesting but I felt that the story was still unresolved. I was not satisfied by it ending there. It’s not a compact ending with the curtains in the windows and the mat in front of the door. It ends on a question and with a wistful hope for some impossibility.
The writing is beautiful. It’s poised (yes, writing can be poised, thank you very much), lyrical and very honest.
“Her eyes were full of the night’s stars and her hair was lit with the police sirens and she acted as if nothing at all was wrong… (Suma 20)”
Conclusion? It may be very different from everything else that is out right now but believe you me, it is one experience that is worth having. It will resonate with people who have older siblings, who know what it feels like to hero worship them. It’s a beautiful book, guys. Read it. Seriously.
I started reading Imaginary Girls with two thoughts in my mind: one, I really like the cover (and now that I have read the novel, it makes so much more sense) and two, I really like books that explore sisterhood. I feel that relationships between girls are not genuinely explored in YA literature. As in friendships, familial relationships, these things are usually sacrificed to assemble stereotypes of haughty, evil cheerleaders and nice and sweet main characters. This works if we are looking for fairytales but when you are thinking about real life… it becomes a bit more complicated. First of all, let’s consider how we would categorize Imaginary Girls. What I can tell you most definitely right now is that it’s not a paranormal fantasy/romance. It is also not totally contemporary. What the book does is take elements of both genres and marries them together to create a book that is liberally dosed with atmosphere and tense anticipation. I would say magical realism but I really am not too familiar with the technique so you can refute my claim.
The relationship between Ruby and Chloe is the basis of the story. It is not a relationship that is neat, that you can divide into good and bad. It certainly is complex but even then, it is complex in a way that makes it impossible to look at it in objective terms. Is Ruby bad for her sister? Perhaps. Is Chloe better off without her? Maybe. However, the way in which the story is written, portraying as it does Ruby’s dedication to Chloe, her willingness to sacrifice everything (everyone?) to keep Chloe happy makes the reader unwilling to paint Ruby as totally black. While Chloe is the main narrator of the story, it is Ruby who will have the bulk of your attention. She is such a fascinating character: caustic at times, cruel and magical. I think the only thing that redeems her as a character is her love for Chloe.
I have to commend the author on the atmosphere of the story. Throughout the entire book, as though I was watching some noir movie, there was this shortness of breath, this hint of danger pervading the pages, auguring some sort of upheaval. The reservoir was not just a setting but it became a character: malevolent and waiting. It was fantastic.
I understand why the romance was there but I didn’t think it was too necessary. It did add some interesting textures to the story and reveal facets about Ruby but I’m still not entirely sold on it. The ending is interesting but I felt that the story was still unresolved. I was not satisfied by it ending there. It’s not a compact ending with the curtains in the windows and the mat in front of the door. It ends on a question and with a wistful hope for some impossibility.
The writing is beautiful. It’s poised (yes, writing can be poised, thank you very much), lyrical and very honest.
“Her eyes were full of the night’s stars and her hair was lit with the police sirens and she acted as if nothing at all was wrong… (Suma 20)”
Conclusion? It may be very different from everything else that is out right now but believe you me, it is one experience that is worth having. It will resonate with people who have older siblings, who know what it feels like to hero worship them. It’s a beautiful book, guys. Read it. Seriously.
April 6, 2018
Ruby has always been Chloe's hero: her big sister, who took care of her in place of their alcoholic mother. She was the one person everyone in town listened to. But our heroine was special, because she was Ruby's most beloved little sister. Everyone knew that the way to Ruby's heart was through kindness for her sister.
But then two years prior there had been a terrible accident, which culminated with the two sisters getting separated. Swimming in the reservoir was very dangerous, but Chloe had still done it. After all, if Ruby said she wouldn't drown, then what had been there to be afraid of? Apparently, Chloe's classmate's dead body...
I wanted to read a horror story, but didn't really feel like tackling anything by Stephen King. In hindsight, I probably should've, since this one was definitely not something from the horror genre. Mystery or thriller with a liberal amount of supernatural sprinkled over it, maybe. If anyone ever made this into a movie, the story'll definitely demand one of those utterly creepy soundtracks.
All in all, a rather disappointing book. Ironic really, because it was written fairly well, and the characters were all very interesting and 'wonderfully flawed'. It's just that I had no patience for the lengthy descriptive passages that were supposed to create a creepy atmosphere. It felt as if the author was stalling for something.
Case in point, the scene where Chloe decides to swim the length of the reservoir, and eventually discovers London's dead body.
... and after that we get another two pages about a sunken town called Olive, complete with Ruby's mysterious/creepy stories about its demise.
Score: 2.4/5 stars
There was nothing fundamentally wrong with the story, but I could barely muster the patience to wade through it. Plus, at one point, things start to get awfully predictable when Chole starts repeating one of Ruby's phrases ad nauseam. Oh ... and it was YA in genre, chock full of teenage angst and high school drama. I really have to stop putting so much of it on my to-read list.
But then two years prior there had been a terrible accident, which culminated with the two sisters getting separated. Swimming in the reservoir was very dangerous, but Chloe had still done it. After all, if Ruby said she wouldn't drown, then what had been there to be afraid of? Apparently, Chloe's classmate's dead body...
I wanted to read a horror story, but didn't really feel like tackling anything by Stephen King. In hindsight, I probably should've, since this one was definitely not something from the horror genre. Mystery or thriller with a liberal amount of supernatural sprinkled over it, maybe. If anyone ever made this into a movie, the story'll definitely demand one of those utterly creepy soundtracks.
All in all, a rather disappointing book. Ironic really, because it was written fairly well, and the characters were all very interesting and 'wonderfully flawed'. It's just that I had no patience for the lengthy descriptive passages that were supposed to create a creepy atmosphere. It felt as if the author was stalling for something.
Case in point, the scene where Chloe decides to swim the length of the reservoir, and eventually discovers London's dead body.
The water spread out all around me, familiar and warm. As I swam I didn’t keep my eyes open; I knew the way. And then I felt it, all at once, how as I darted forward the water turned cold, seeming at least ten degrees cooler than before, and I knew I’d gotten close to where Ruby always said we’d find the center of Olive. Its heart, she used to say, was in the middle of the reservoir, at its deepest, bottommost point.
... and after that we get another two pages about a sunken town called Olive, complete with Ruby's mysterious/creepy stories about its demise.
Score: 2.4/5 stars
There was nothing fundamentally wrong with the story, but I could barely muster the patience to wade through it. Plus, at one point, things start to get awfully predictable when Chole starts repeating one of Ruby's phrases ad nauseam. Oh ... and it was YA in genre, chock full of teenage angst and high school drama. I really have to stop putting so much of it on my to-read list.
July 21, 2015
Imaginary Girls is my favorite novel in which nothing at all happens. It is also my favorite novel that includes an entire cast of pretty unlikeable characters. Doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement? It is.
I've had some trouble committing to books at the start of this year but Nova Ren Suma pulled me in and soon I was drowning in the spooky setting of this book. I wanted to know just what was going on in this ghost filled world. This isn't a mystery though, this novel is a member of the "magical realism" genre. If you're not familiar or keen on that sort of thing then this book won't be for you. Because truly, almost nothing happens. This isn't another action packed dystopia. You probably won't fall in love with the characters. What you'll find in this novel is something different than a lot of what is out there today. This story is quiet. It is slow. It feels a lot like sinking*. It's not a trilogy. It's not even a romance. It's love, ghosts and magic. A whole town of ghosts trapped forever beneath.
It's the story of two sisters who are obsessed with each other in a very unhealthy way. Loyal until death. Attached at the hip in an unhealthy way that makes you want to reach out and shake Chloe. Wake up, Chlo. Ruby is the Regina George of your world. She always gets what she wants and we're all left to wonder why. The writing in this novel is so beautiful though, that none of that even matters, and you feel like you are floating in the water of the reservoir yourself; filled with anxiety over what may just grab your ankles in the pages to come and pull you in.
Looking for something a little different from YA? Imaginary Girls is your story. Nova Ren Suma is a beautiful writer and I can't wait for her next book.
* I really just wanted to throw in as many bad water references as I could here. No shame. Plus it's true. This novel does feel like sinking, right?
Recommendation: Those who like magical realism and ghosts. Lovers of pretty prose. Anyone looking to get away from your usual YA romances. Those who don't mind developing irrational fears of reservoirs and balloons.
This review and other bad jokes at my blog: The Night Bookmobile
I've had some trouble committing to books at the start of this year but Nova Ren Suma pulled me in and soon I was drowning in the spooky setting of this book. I wanted to know just what was going on in this ghost filled world. This isn't a mystery though, this novel is a member of the "magical realism" genre. If you're not familiar or keen on that sort of thing then this book won't be for you. Because truly, almost nothing happens. This isn't another action packed dystopia. You probably won't fall in love with the characters. What you'll find in this novel is something different than a lot of what is out there today. This story is quiet. It is slow. It feels a lot like sinking*. It's not a trilogy. It's not even a romance. It's love, ghosts and magic. A whole town of ghosts trapped forever beneath.
It's the story of two sisters who are obsessed with each other in a very unhealthy way. Loyal until death. Attached at the hip in an unhealthy way that makes you want to reach out and shake Chloe. Wake up, Chlo. Ruby is the Regina George of your world. She always gets what she wants and we're all left to wonder why. The writing in this novel is so beautiful though, that none of that even matters, and you feel like you are floating in the water of the reservoir yourself; filled with anxiety over what may just grab your ankles in the pages to come and pull you in.
Looking for something a little different from YA? Imaginary Girls is your story. Nova Ren Suma is a beautiful writer and I can't wait for her next book.
* I really just wanted to throw in as many bad water references as I could here. No shame. Plus it's true. This novel does feel like sinking, right?
Recommendation: Those who like magical realism and ghosts. Lovers of pretty prose. Anyone looking to get away from your usual YA romances. Those who don't mind developing irrational fears of reservoirs and balloons.
This review and other bad jokes at my blog: The Night Bookmobile
April 28, 2011
Incredibly crafted voice, and creepy setting. One or two small snags for me but a very good read! I said it when reading Dani Noir and I'll say it again, Nova Ren Suma has serious skill.
Read
August 23, 2016I loved the setting of this book. The idea of the reservoir creeps me out so much in a good way. Such fascinating characters and rich description!
March 3, 2021
До середины книги пробиралась целый месяц, очень скучно было.
Первая прочитанная мною книга автора была лучше.
Первая прочитанная мною книга автора была лучше.
April 1, 2017
I just finished IMAGINARY GIRLS. Literally--I turned the last page a moment ago. It's normally a bad idea for me to write reviews without a breathing period, where my thoughts can take shape, my reaction stabilize. And I haven't written a review for a long time, have purposefully not written reviews for months. But I want to write this so I can think about this book more. I'm not sure what I feel about this book and why. I need this space to decide.
In some ways, this book was everything I could ever want out of a novel. In glittering, shining moments of the narrative, when a particular line uncurled itself from the page, came alive, just stood there and said hello to me, I felt it. When an arresting image appeared in front of my eyes, vivid and real enough to touch or breathe or live briefly in, I felt it. It's that thrilling feeling you get sometimes, when you're reading something that will become important to you. It's like a tickle in the gut. This was THE BOOK, I thought. My newest soul-book.
But for some reason, as the last page lies read on my nightstand, I realize IMAGINARY GIRLS never quite arrived there. What I'm left with is more a fleeting impression of a novel; several alive scenes, restless segments of language stuck in my head, a recollection of dialogue. At this moment, at least, IMAGINARY GIRLS is not quite substantial enough for me. Not quite enough.
It's not because of the prose, because the writing is beautiful. Suma writes with such grace. Her sentences flow ceaselessly on the page, undulating into and out of themselves, connecting with each other in moments of wonderful rhythm. Her imagery is precise--the details, small actions and appearances of characters focused on with microscopic intensity render sometimes surreal, sometimes poignant scenes.
It's not the premise. Magical realism or surrealism are currently my favorite things to read. I want more of it in YA; I'm hungry for it. And I want more stories like this in YA, that leave questions in your mind,
that are perhaps a bit strange but singularly unique, that make you think. Though the slow-moving events and the sometimes lack of a plot won't win as many teen readers over, I didn't mind too much, although I'll admit my attention sometimes waned during long paragraphs of internal monologue. Or perhaps it is the plot--how do I explain? It doesn't feel entirely like a linked story, this book. More a collection of compelling, surreal images. There's more atmosphere than happening, more prose than character.
And it's the characters, I've begun to think, that makes this book 4 star for me and not 5. They're not quite enough. It's the fact that I can't sense them. They didn't come alive, in the way the setting and the descriptions did. I can't think of a character trait for the main character Chloe other than her obsessive love for her sister Ruby, her yearning. Ruby is easier, I suppose. She's cruel and beautiful and powerful. But Chloe? She's an empty vessel for the story. She narrates. She tells of enigmatic, wonderful Ruby, and that is all. But do I have a right to complain about her, when I love THE GREAT GATSBY so? Shouldn't I think something more reasonable, like Chloe's lack of substance is a reflection of Ruby's power to ensorcell, to captivate everyone and everything, so even a book about her younger sister focuses on her as her "echo" of a sister dissipates?
I don't know. I am left feeling strange by this book. It's not the more unusual turn of events, which I found refreshing and lovely. It's the feeling of having missed something, lost something. Maybe if I'd read this earlier in my life (or later--I'm not sure which) it would have meant more to me. It's the fact that it doesn't--for whatever reason--the characters, I suppose--that makes me feel unsettled, more than the threatening, oil black surface of Chloe's reservoir ever did.
In some ways, this book was everything I could ever want out of a novel. In glittering, shining moments of the narrative, when a particular line uncurled itself from the page, came alive, just stood there and said hello to me, I felt it. When an arresting image appeared in front of my eyes, vivid and real enough to touch or breathe or live briefly in, I felt it. It's that thrilling feeling you get sometimes, when you're reading something that will become important to you. It's like a tickle in the gut. This was THE BOOK, I thought. My newest soul-book.
But for some reason, as the last page lies read on my nightstand, I realize IMAGINARY GIRLS never quite arrived there. What I'm left with is more a fleeting impression of a novel; several alive scenes, restless segments of language stuck in my head, a recollection of dialogue. At this moment, at least, IMAGINARY GIRLS is not quite substantial enough for me. Not quite enough.
It's not because of the prose, because the writing is beautiful. Suma writes with such grace. Her sentences flow ceaselessly on the page, undulating into and out of themselves, connecting with each other in moments of wonderful rhythm. Her imagery is precise--the details, small actions and appearances of characters focused on with microscopic intensity render sometimes surreal, sometimes poignant scenes.
It's not the premise. Magical realism or surrealism are currently my favorite things to read. I want more of it in YA; I'm hungry for it. And I want more stories like this in YA, that leave questions in your mind,
that are perhaps a bit strange but singularly unique, that make you think. Though the slow-moving events and the sometimes lack of a plot won't win as many teen readers over, I didn't mind too much, although I'll admit my attention sometimes waned during long paragraphs of internal monologue. Or perhaps it is the plot--how do I explain? It doesn't feel entirely like a linked story, this book. More a collection of compelling, surreal images. There's more atmosphere than happening, more prose than character.
And it's the characters, I've begun to think, that makes this book 4 star for me and not 5. They're not quite enough. It's the fact that I can't sense them. They didn't come alive, in the way the setting and the descriptions did. I can't think of a character trait for the main character Chloe other than her obsessive love for her sister Ruby, her yearning. Ruby is easier, I suppose. She's cruel and beautiful and powerful. But Chloe? She's an empty vessel for the story. She narrates. She tells of enigmatic, wonderful Ruby, and that is all. But do I have a right to complain about her, when I love THE GREAT GATSBY so? Shouldn't I think something more reasonable, like Chloe's lack of substance is a reflection of Ruby's power to ensorcell, to captivate everyone and everything, so even a book about her younger sister focuses on her as her "echo" of a sister dissipates?
I don't know. I am left feeling strange by this book. It's not the more unusual turn of events, which I found refreshing and lovely. It's the feeling of having missed something, lost something. Maybe if I'd read this earlier in my life (or later--I'm not sure which) it would have meant more to me. It's the fact that it doesn't--for whatever reason--the characters, I suppose--that makes me feel unsettled, more than the threatening, oil black surface of Chloe's reservoir ever did.
July 24, 2011
Beautiful prose, a mesmerizing setting, and a mysterious premise are, in the end, not quite enough to make up for the minimal character development and slow-moving plot in this ambitious and convoluted novel. IMAGINARY GIRLS is beautifully written, but the lack of attachment I felt for any of the characters meant that I actually had to struggle to finish this book.
The jacket copy for IMAGINARY GIRLS doesn’t tell you much, and it’s better if you go into the book knowing just the little you know. Nova Ren Suma writes in a languid style similar to Sarah Dessen when she is feeling particularly poignant, meaning that the small-town reservoir-side setting and the weirdness of the situation is well-evoked. IMAGINARY GIRLS is a very atmospheric novel—and even though it’s hard express the significance of the setting, it’s also probably impossible to imagine this story set elsewhere.
The fact that IMAGINARY GIRLS seems to focus more on beautiful prose than character development means that the characters—not the least of which is Chloe, the protagonist/narrator—come off as only vaguely intriguing, their interestingness born more out of the roles they are assigned in the story than they themselves. Chloe in particular is like a spluttering match next to Ruby’s Mag-lite glow—and yet Ruby’s magnetic persona, unfortunately, anchors its credibility in the telling of her magnetism rather than the showing of it. Chloe waxes eloquent for so long on Ruby this, Ruby that, that, “in the flesh,” Ruby is actually not as intriguing as Chloe makes her sound.
Chloe suffers from “everyone is more interesting than me”-itis. In short, Chloe has no personality. She has no defining characteristics besides being the narrator and Ruby’s younger sister, which I suppose is partially the point, but then she doesn’t grow a whit throughout the course of the novel. Why is it all too easy for protagonists in contemporarily set novels to be passive and bland? I really wish authors would catch themselves when they are writing bubbles as main characters: see-through substanceless creatures that threaten to disappear into nothing at the slightest touch.
IMAGINARY GIRLS didn’t work for me primarily because of these reasons, but I know that the majority of other readers have really loved this book, so don’t take my word for it. I wonder, though, if there are or will be other readers out there who had the same problems with this book as I did.
The jacket copy for IMAGINARY GIRLS doesn’t tell you much, and it’s better if you go into the book knowing just the little you know. Nova Ren Suma writes in a languid style similar to Sarah Dessen when she is feeling particularly poignant, meaning that the small-town reservoir-side setting and the weirdness of the situation is well-evoked. IMAGINARY GIRLS is a very atmospheric novel—and even though it’s hard express the significance of the setting, it’s also probably impossible to imagine this story set elsewhere.
The fact that IMAGINARY GIRLS seems to focus more on beautiful prose than character development means that the characters—not the least of which is Chloe, the protagonist/narrator—come off as only vaguely intriguing, their interestingness born more out of the roles they are assigned in the story than they themselves. Chloe in particular is like a spluttering match next to Ruby’s Mag-lite glow—and yet Ruby’s magnetic persona, unfortunately, anchors its credibility in the telling of her magnetism rather than the showing of it. Chloe waxes eloquent for so long on Ruby this, Ruby that, that, “in the flesh,” Ruby is actually not as intriguing as Chloe makes her sound.
Chloe suffers from “everyone is more interesting than me”-itis. In short, Chloe has no personality. She has no defining characteristics besides being the narrator and Ruby’s younger sister, which I suppose is partially the point, but then she doesn’t grow a whit throughout the course of the novel. Why is it all too easy for protagonists in contemporarily set novels to be passive and bland? I really wish authors would catch themselves when they are writing bubbles as main characters: see-through substanceless creatures that threaten to disappear into nothing at the slightest touch.
IMAGINARY GIRLS didn’t work for me primarily because of these reasons, but I know that the majority of other readers have really loved this book, so don’t take my word for it. I wonder, though, if there are or will be other readers out there who had the same problems with this book as I did.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,344 reviews