The Undesirable
One thing that many people know about me is that I LOVE to read. I always have a book on the bedside table or something new downloaded. After the disaster of the break-in and the lost Kindle I had a lovely conversation with the people at Amazon where they told me they could actually de-activate my Kindle so that no one else would be able to download anything to it, hence making it useless to whoever tried to buy it from the criminal. Nice feature, right? Anyway, in that process I was on my Amazon account and realized that I downloaded and read over 130 books last year. That is not even counting however many real paper books I bought… so I like to read. Therefore, I was THRILLED when I was able to replace the Kindle and the very first book I downloaded was THE UNDESIRABLE by my good friend, Sara Celi.
If you are looking for a good book to read when you have some downtime, I highly recommend this book. I breezed through it in two days and was left wanting to know how long I was going to have to wait for the sequel. That was a plus to knowing the author, I immediately texted her and she is promising me it won’t be too long of a wait! THE UNDESIRABLE is the story of Charlotte, a young woman living in Ohio… but not Ohio as I grew up in, but a dystopian society where the United States is at war with Canada and the country is controlled by manipulative dictator… whom Charlotte learns she has an unexpected connection with. I will admit, it really threw me to try and adapt my mind to the picture Charlotte was painting of the Ohio in HER world. It took me a few chapters to adjust to setting of a dystopian society where there is no freedom and everything in life was controlled- down to what you ate for lunch. But the setting is what frames the action of the story. There were a couple of things I adored about the book. From the very start you can tell that Charlotte is a strong female lead with a smart head on her shoulders. She does what she needs to do to survive and to help those she loves survive. Charlotte is never a damsel in distress, unlike so many other books that I have read (in an ironic twist, Twilight happens to be on TV as I am writing this). I love that SHE goes on crusade to save the man she realizes she loves, Fostino Sanchez. Yes, that is a mouthful of name, but it has a meaning. It seems like a role reversal from a lot of the books I have read in the last few years and I liked that. Being that I work in education and have read way too many books and sat through too many lectures on student development theory, I liked seeing the cognitive development of the characters. There is one scene in particular where Charlotte is out jogging and she realizes how limited her view on life had been and how many more possibilities there for life. I love when students I work with have those moments, so I was thrilled to see it here as well. Especially when you consider Charlotte is college-aged (if they had colleges in this society) so it fits that she was having this revelation.
I really don’t want to give too much of the plot away, so I won’t say much more. The book wraps up this first part of Charlotte’s adventure nicely, but I was left wanting to know more. More about what happens with her love, Fostino, and his family. More about the other characters she interacts with… what has their past been and will they all survive in the future? Will she ever meet this evil dictator and what will become of him?
Now, you may be reading this and start to think that I am only trying to write a nice entry for a friend. That is a fair assumption, but it is not the case. Sara and I have known each other for a long time, and with those years of friendship comes a trust and a responsibility. A responsibility to tell each other the truth and call each other out on our shit. If I didn’t like the book I would have told her so. I will tell you all that it is really good and I am ridiculously proud of my friend. She and I have known each other since middle school. MIDDLE SCHOOL. That was nearly twenty years ago. We were co-editors of the high school newspaper together and survived that with only a few screaming matches that she won’t let me forget. We survived a summer tour to Europe in college where she left me at the Eiffel Tower in a hail storm that I won’t let her forget. There have been countless moments between then and now, and that history requires that I give honest feedback.
That being said, my only real hang ups with the book were minor things and it is more my brain than her style. I wanted it to be longer, but the genre is Young Adult, so it is closer to the 250 page range. There was also one scene where they are debating to shower or not and I just wanted to yell at the two characters to focus on the important thing: staying alive. I also had to work hard to not think too much about North Korea as I was reading this book. Mainly because in the book the dictator is referred to as “our dear Supreme Leader” and he has essentially cut off communication for anyone in the US to know what life is like outside of the country. So, as I was first getting into the story I kept picturing Kim Jong-un and what life must be like in North Korea. This is what happens when you keep to up-to-date on current events. So, as you are reading it DON’T picture this short little North Korean leader. That is NOT what Maxwell Copper, the dear Supreme Leader (evil dictator) looks like.
So, that is my book recommendation for you all this week. Not only is it by my dear friend, but it is also a good and fast-paced read by an up and coming author. Below are all of the links and information to check out if you want to purchase a copy. I really enjoyed it and I hope you do to!
• Title: The Undesirable (Undesirable #1)
• Author: S. Celi
• Release Date: January 28, 2013
• Genre: New Adult
Synopsis:
*This book is Mature YA/ New Adult. It is recommended for readers 14 and over.
What if everything you knew turned out to be a lie?
Charlotte Walker knows how to live under the rule of The Party. She has managed for 18 years. She helps out her drunken mother and keeps life going at a familiar, steady pace. She doesn’t ask questions, even though she has many of them in her heart.
Fostino Sanchez knows how to live under the rule of The Party, too. For 19 years, he’s worked to be the perfect Party member. He knows what must be done to keep Maxwell Cooper in power, and how find the The Undesirables that threaten to take away everything that matters.
As the months go by, what matters most to Fostino is Charlotte Walker.
While their love blooms, danger comes to Charlotte and Fostino’s small hometown of Harrison Corners, OH. Threats they never knew existed could take away all that they care about. And just when these two teens think they know what will come next, Charlotte learns the truth about a secret she has long suspected.
What Charlotte finds out changes everything.
EVERYTHING.
THE UNDESIRABLE is Charlotte Walker’s story, from her point of view. It is a thrilling, suspenseful tale of love, curiosity, adversity, and maturity against the backdrop of a futuristic war.
Should Charlotte trust Fostino with what she knows? Can she trust anyone? Will she find it in herself to rise up against terrible odds? What if the ultimate Undesirable is her?
Author Contact Info:
twitter: saragceli
Website: http://celibrationoflife.wordpress.com/
convertedsoutherner 