Happy Sunday, folks! Well, technically (at least only “technically” in my neck of the woods). Let’s start off the day with another review, a book that’s drastically different from the last few I’ve reviewed but still completely worth a read. In this post, I’m reviewing Cursed!: My Devastatingly Brilliant Campaign to Save the Chigg by Idabel Allen.
Ginny’s about to start high school, an uneasy time in any boy’s or girl’s life. Unfortunately, that’s not the worst of Ginny’s problems: her beloved grandfather died the previous summer, the parents of two of her closest friends are keeping them away from her as a “bad influence,” and she’s lost her best friend. The icing on this “blucky” cake? Mr. Lan, her grandfather’s war buddy, has insisted on continuing his annual visit even after her grandfather’s death, and she has had to forfeit her room as a result. Not the best way for her to start this new phase in her young life.
Image retrieved from Amazon
With all of this turmoil, she needs to talk to someone about it. The closest available ear: Mr. Lan. And so Ginny begins to tell him the story of how she made and lost the best friend she could have ever had. Over the following 254 pages, a story of mystery, intrigue, curses, and friendship unfolds as Ginny and her new friend, nicknamed Chigger, seek out the truth of Chigger’s dark family history and what locals have dubbed the “Larson Curse.” Is there really a curse on Chigger and her family? What is the real story of her ancestors? And, most pressingly, how could a wonderful, vibrant girl like Ginny possibly lose her best friend?
Allen has created a gripping young adult novel reminiscent of Holes but with female (and, arguably, more entertaining) protagonists. She weaves layer upon layer of parallel narratives to convey her lessons of misunderstanding, cyclical mistakes, love, and friendship. The emotions are very raw and very real; I felt for Ginny in everything that she lost as well as for Chigger in her fear of the world and initial annoyance towards Ginny. I think that any young adult—any reader old enough to handle some of the darker scenes and violence, actually—will find something to relate to in these characters.
Perhaps the best thing about this novel is that it’s both compelling and hilarious. While not a quick read, I found myself turning page after page on my Kindle reader, desperate to discover the truth and see the ups and downs of Ginny and Chigger’s friendship. (I might be a little biased, though, because I love a good mystery. Then again, that means that Allen has created a good mystery!) The humor in Ginny’s rather delusional narration—delusional in a typical, hyper teenaged girl’s way—balanced the book nicely, making the tension more palatable.
Of course, at times I found Ginny’s goofiness over-the-top. I often agreed with Chigger—can’t Ginny take anything seriously for five minutes? However, Ginny does mature some thanks to her friendship with Chigger. Her core remains the same, but she at least tries to put Chigger first and understand her friend’s feelings. By the end of the book, Ginny’s still incredibly goofy, but it’s endearing and she has grown some.
The frame device of telling Mr. Lan the story is genius, especially as it begins to take a plot of its own. I can’t say anything else because of spoilers. Still, I can say that the dynamic between Ginny and Mr. Lan is both humorous and sweet. They might act as though they don’t like each other but, like any good frenemies, they care about each other even as they get under each other’s skin. And sometimes, loss and heartache can be a powerful bonding agent between two stubborn souls.
On top of the engaging plot and excellent character development, Allen adds in some of that good ol’ Southern charm to the mix. I’ve never been to a small town in Alabama before—or Alabama at all—but Allen’s descriptions through Ginny’s eyes made the whole situation feel very familiar. I should note that I did grow up in a small town in Northern California, so that may have helped me to build a stronger connection with the location than some city dweller would. Regardless, Allen describes Locust Fork in just enough detail that readers can imagine it without overwhelmingly them with paragraph upon paragraph about Main Street. Those illustrations combined with Southern terminology and sayings gives this narrative a Southern feel without driving it into the ground.
I came across a few proofreading errors. However, these errors were incredibly minor, a missing article here or there. Therefore, they did not detract from my reading experience or the quality of the writing.
Overall, Cursed! by Idabel Allen is a well-written, compelling YA mystery novel. It’s not just about the mystery of a small town’s dirty secret; it’s about human lives as real as yours and mine, and a girl struggling to become a young woman and cement new, lasting relationships. The ending is rather bittersweet, which won’t sit right with people who prefer books with straight-up happy endings. Nevertheless, readers who like books with realistically complex endings that aren’t entirely bleak will find this ending very satisfying. I think that young adult outcasts will especially enjoy Cursed! After all, everyone likes reassurance that being unique does not mean you’re evil or cursed.
You can buy Cursed! by Idabel Allen as an eBook or in print on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. To learn more about the author and her other works, be sure to check out her website, Facebook, and Twitter page.
Do you know of a book I should read? Want your work reviewed on this blog? E-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com or message me on Fiverr and we can arrange something.
Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011