Thursday, October 20, 2016

Replica

Replica (Replica, #1)

I've been wanting to read this one for a while, especially when I heard about the dual format. It's like two books in one- you can read from either perspective- Gemma or Lyra- or read both at the same time, alternating between chapters. I chose the latter option after seeing an interview with the author  where she indicated it works well that way. And I'm glad I did. I think you can enjoy it either way, but flipping between POV's kept the pace going where otherwise it'd be like reading the same story twice, just from different angles.

Replica is quite the interesting story. It's a brave experiment too, and I commend Lauren Oliver for taking it on. I think it mostly works- the dual format does have a few issues but by and large it works. It's not a spoiler to say that Gemma and Lyra come together- Gemma is searching for the connection between a research facility called Haven and her father, while Lyra and another replica escape from the facility and have to face the outside world. We see that Gemma's life is complicated, she was sick a lot as a kid and is overweight, which causes her problems at school. She has one good friend, April, and even though her parents are rich she's not happy.

Lyra on the other hand knows nothing about the outside world and doesn't even think she's human- the replicas have been treated like nothings and that's how they look at themselves. Gemma and Lyra have distinct personalities and I truly felt like I was reading about two different girls- so Oliver makes that work. Of the two I think I liked Lyra more- her quest for meaning and inability to trust anything really made me sympathetic to her. Gemma on the other hand, while she had her moments, seemed a little more artificial to me- she spent a lot of time on her angst and her weight and I tired of that after a while. I think Oliver's trying to shine a light on those feelings though, so I get that.

I also thought there were some diversity boxes checked off here. Diversity is good but it seemed shoehorned in a bit. And it's certainly not a bad thing, I just felt it was a little overstated rather than just being natural. Otherwise I have very few complaints. The book did start a bit slow for me, but after a few chapters I was good. I liked it when Gemma and Lyra got together, and the side characters of Pete and 72 were interesting as well. Pete in particular has some humorous elements that make him a nice foil for the otherwise horrific story.

Speaking of which, I think Oliver does a great job here showing how horrible the Haven experiments are. The truth about what they're doing on Haven is slowly revealed, and it's pretty unthinkable. The other thing that I liked was the sense of place- the research facility off the coast of northern Florida and the ambience of the secluded island is portrayed well.  And lastly the book ends on a note where the story could be continued, but it's no cliffhanger. I think it ends in a good place in that sense- complete in itself but clearly with more to say. I highly recommend Replica for anyone who likes a story about cloning or about kids running from sinister forces. 

15 comments:

  1. Oh, I've heard about this book but didn't know what book it was, I just heard about the two perspectives and how you could choose to read whichever one first or whatever. That's so unique! I've always thought it would be cool to make a story like that since perspective changes everything. It's why there's always two sides to every story, you know? I'm not so sure this actual story would be for me though. But I'm glad you enjoyed it!

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  2. This makes me even more intrigued by the story - I wasn't really sure of the plot before but it sounds interesting. Diversity is good but it would be nice if it felt natural.

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  3. I agree with all of what you said. I just finished this yesterday and kind of have mixed feelings. There were parts I liked but some I didn't. I agree it started slowly and Gemma and her weight was just too much for me. She didn't mention anything else and it seemed kind of out of place and not really addressed to any conclusion. I did like when they were all together much better and loved Pete. Great review!!

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  4. Great review and you've hit on some really great points. The diversity did feel a little like it was just checking boxes, and Gemma being 'overweight' was also a very repetitive topic. I actually got the impression that Gemma was actually fairly normal but had a bit of a body image disorder.

    You can see what Oliver wanted to address here, but you can see it because it's been hammered home too far which probably isn't a good thing.

    Glad you enjoyed this though and it sounds like you were entertained by the format too.

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  5. I had heard about the two POVs and the flipping of the book, but I had no idea what it was about. It sounds intriguing. I might put it on my Kindle wish list so I get notified if the ebook goes on special. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. :)

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  6. What a very interesting format! I think I'd choose to read in alternating POVs, too; it would just be weird to me to skip every other chapter, LOL. I like that you get enough closure from the ending, but it's not so final that there couldn't be a sequel!

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  7. I've only read one other Oliver book but did enjoy it. I like the idea of this book. I would probably read it in alternating chapters too but the other way would be interesting to try.

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  8. I'm definitely going to read this soon!! I've been meaning to read it for months now... only I couldn't decide which was the best way to read it. Now that I've read a few reviews I think I will read alternating chapters.

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  9. I am so intrigued by the concept of this one but I don't always love Olver's books so I haven't decided if it is one for me yet. I am glad to hear you enjoyed it overall though, despite some issues. Great review!

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  10. So, I just finished this last night and... such mixed feelings! I agree about the whole Haven thing, that place was SO messed up! And that it ended at a really good place, and I liked how the whole thing... well, you know. (I don't want to be the jerk who writes spoilers in your comments ;) ) But... I also predicted the outcome like, from the start, so that was kind of frustrating. It ended up feeling a bit underwhelming, though I did really like the characters and the writing. Great review!

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  11. It does sound like a very original and interesting way of telling a story with how it's the same story from two point of views. And how you can even read it in different ways. Do you really have to flip the book to the other side for the other point of view?
    That's great the two characters actually felt like two different girls, I like it when the author can do that right with dual pov. Great review!

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  12. Love the sound of Replica. The uniqueness would be a great spin for the publishers (PR!).

    Thanks for linking #TalkoftheTown Hope to see you again Greg.

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  13. I've been on the fence about this one...but it sounds like it's worth the read for your description.

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  14. LOVE the format idea^^ I'd read it just like you did too! I've only read one Lauren Oliver book so far but I loved it and I've been meaning to read more of her! I love the sound of this Greg :D Great review!!

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  15. I was so excited to read this one, but then for some reason I still haven't picked it up. I think I was disappointed with a couple others I was looking forward to and then I was disenchanted. So now I'm excited about this one again. Need to pick it up soon!!

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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