Memoirs of A Teenage Amnesiac - my book review

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A witty, cheerful glance at a teen amnesiac's life. I enjoyed this book in every respect, not only for its storyline, but mainly for its characters. But more to that later.

Naomi wakes up in a hospital bed, not knowing anything from the last three and a half years. She doesn't know what year it is. She doesn't know her parents are divorced. She doesn't even know who her best friend is. But is this amnesia a way to start life afresh?

I'd like to praise Gabrielle Zevin for the warmth and depth she has put into this book. It's one of those books that save you from a rainy day, to a bad hair day. It'll liven you up no matter the circumstances. What is strange though, is that this is not a chick-lit fiction. It is actually quite meaningful, and has given me an insight of forgiving and forgetting.

Now to the characters. I am so glad that this story was told in first-person perspective. Naomi's point of view was fun, and just from reading a chapter that "she's" written, I can tell that she'd be one of the persons in the world who would make a good friend (although she doesn't think that herself). My other favourite character, whether you can believe it or not, is Ace. I loved him. He was popular, sweet and bashful. So adorable.

Oh, and of course, I'd like to give a special mention to Will Landsman. To me, he is the star of the story, really. Pretty much the whole book revolves around Naomi and his relationship, once you think about it. He plays an important part, and the friendship between the two carries on throughout the story. Not very much, but it does.

To finish off, I'd like to share my favourite quote from Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac:

"You forget all of it anyway. . . You forget who was cool and who was not, who was pretty, smart, athletic, and not. . . You forget all of them. Even the ones you said you loved, and even the ones you actually did. They’re the last to go. And then once you’ve forgotten enough, you love someone else."

View all my reviews