*THIS POST CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THE BOOK
Genre: Young Adult
Pages: 210
Publication Date: Mar 26, 2012
Website: Jane George | X-It on Goodreads
Synopsis:
LOVE IS A DRUG.
In 1980 NYC, eighteen-year-old J.J. Buckingham is an uptight trendoid. Working as a mannequin painter and a counter girl, she moonlights as a creature of the nightclubs. J.J. falls for aloof, crazy-talented artist and bicycle messenger X-It. In order to win his love, she succumbs to the dark machinations of drug dealer Marko Voodoo. X-It will love her if she’s the queen of underground Manhattan, right? Her plan backfires with horrendous consequences. Can J.J. find her way out of a maze of drugs, clubs, and danger?
Check out the previous posts of the Read-A-Thon!
Disclaimer: This book contains some descriptions of sexual nature (that only adds to the plot and characterization, if I may add).
Disclaimer: This book contains some descriptions of sexual nature (that only adds to the plot and characterization, if I may add).
Genre: Young AdultPublication Date: Mar 26, 2012
Website: Jane George | X-It on Goodreads
Synopsis:
LOVE IS A DRUG.
In 1980 NYC, eighteen-year-old J.J. Buckingham is an uptight trendoid. Working as a mannequin painter and a counter girl, she moonlights as a creature of the nightclubs. J.J. falls for aloof, crazy-talented artist and bicycle messenger X-It. In order to win his love, she succumbs to the dark machinations of drug dealer Marko Voodoo. X-It will love her if she’s the queen of underground Manhattan, right? Her plan backfires with horrendous consequences. Can J.J. find her way out of a maze of drugs, clubs, and danger?
In Chapter 10-12...
We are introduced to J.J. and X-It’s families, both dysfunctional in their own way. J.J. has a mother whose only contacts to her are postcards and long-distance phone calls, a father who is brain-damaged and doesn’t recognize her, and a grandma who was the one who signed her parents’ divorce papers. X-It has a family who calls him Thomas and disapproves of his life and his friends.
My thoughts
Firstly, I want to apologize for the late post, all kinds of things have been happening yesterday and I couldn't find the time to write this till now!
Anyway…
WOW, that was one of the best reading sessions I've ever had! Totally blown me away – I so wanted to keep reading and find out what would happen to J.J.! The pacing was so tightly-packed, the story full of interesting plot points! There’s not a single excessive word!
And I got what I wanted in the last post! The backstory was enough to help fill some of the contradictions in the characterization, like how J.J. craves to be a rebel slash punk-chic, and still keeps her morality intact (instead of sinking to the depth of Voodoo and the like).
These chapters also come the reappearance of a character I haven’t talked about (I thought he would not be important, but maybe I was wrong :P), Michael. I’ll just let J.J. describe him for you:
Yes, this guy is reasonable. He is kind, caring, and gentle. He is perfect.
Kind of too perfect for me.
On my first read, I was swooning over him about how sweet he is, but when I reread the chapters, he seems too good to be real. He’s either a serious flaw in the author’s otherwise amazing characterization, or we are going to find that Michael is more than meet the eyes. It doesn't have to be a huge plot twist or anything (like, for example, he turned out to be, say, the one who supplies Voodoo with drugs - now that would make for an interesting story), just a few small faults will do. (Keeping my fingers crossed for this!)
To backtrack a bit: The story was so fast-paced that I was skipping over passages and passages to find out what happened next! So I had to do a reread, and even so, Jane George didn't disappoint. She managed to make the languages, the descriptions and comparisons so heart-wrenching, so real, and yet still have a bit of “her” in it. Here’s one of my favorites:
There’s also one awesome scene when J.J. watches a muskrat drown in the flooding river, and in my opinion, was a great allegory for her own situation.
The thing is, who – or what – is the water? Her family, her friends in New York, or her life there? What do you think?
Anyway…
WOW, that was one of the best reading sessions I've ever had! Totally blown me away – I so wanted to keep reading and find out what would happen to J.J.! The pacing was so tightly-packed, the story full of interesting plot points! There’s not a single excessive word!
And I got what I wanted in the last post! The backstory was enough to help fill some of the contradictions in the characterization, like how J.J. craves to be a rebel slash punk-chic, and still keeps her morality intact (instead of sinking to the depth of Voodoo and the like).
These chapters also come the reappearance of a character I haven’t talked about (I thought he would not be important, but maybe I was wrong :P), Michael. I’ll just let J.J. describe him for you:
Michael’s ability to be practical after being woken in the middle of the night is just the tonic I need.
Yes, this guy is reasonable. He is kind, caring, and gentle. He is perfect.
Kind of too perfect for me.
On my first read, I was swooning over him about how sweet he is, but when I reread the chapters, he seems too good to be real. He’s either a serious flaw in the author’s otherwise amazing characterization, or we are going to find that Michael is more than meet the eyes. It doesn't have to be a huge plot twist or anything (like, for example, he turned out to be, say, the one who supplies Voodoo with drugs - now that would make for an interesting story), just a few small faults will do. (Keeping my fingers crossed for this!)
To backtrack a bit: The story was so fast-paced that I was skipping over passages and passages to find out what happened next! So I had to do a reread, and even so, Jane George didn't disappoint. She managed to make the languages, the descriptions and comparisons so heart-wrenching, so real, and yet still have a bit of “her” in it. Here’s one of my favorites:
The department store would make a fantastic nightclub. This thought sticks X-It into the forefront of my mind with the accuracy of a switchblade.
There’s also one awesome scene when J.J. watches a muskrat drown in the flooding river, and in my opinion, was a great allegory for her own situation.
The thing is, who – or what – is the water? Her family, her friends in New York, or her life there? What do you think?
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