Book: Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac
Author: Gabriella Zevin
Pages: 304
Publisher: Square Fish
Reviewed by: Amanda
Amazon.com Price: $8.99
Purchase: Here

When Naomi hit her head on the steps outside of her school, she loses her memory of everything that happened over the last few years. She doesn’t recognize her best friend, or know why he likes to call her Chief. She has a boyfriend that she doesn’t actually think she likes. She can’t remember how to drive a car. And she has no idea why she’s taking a photography class where one project accounts for the majority of her final grade. Naomi spends the first part of the novel trying to get her memory back, and then, trying to figure out if she is still the same girl.

The story is really interesting. It is, almost literally, a journey of self discovery. Naomi has to figure out who she is since her last memories involve her being 12. There are a lot of things that Naomi learns about herself, from other people, that make her wonder just why she made the choices she did. I think anyone reading the book might wonder if they had a “clean slate” if they would continue to make the same decisions. Naomi tries to immerse herself in her old life, but she frequently finds herself just following her instincts, even if, according to the people around her, they are completely out of character.

My one criticism here would half to be that there are way too many romantic entanglements in the plot. Naomi alone has to deal with three different relationships, one of them involving the not so stable new guy in school. Then there is her father’s, her mother’s, and her best friend’s. It’s a bit of a couples overload. Normally, writers don’t pair off every single one of their characters, and I found myself wishing for more breakups than there actually were. It makes the plot overly complicated to me, but then again, maybe that reflects just how complicated life is.

All in all, the book is great. It’s a fascinating read, even though a lot of the information pertaining to the amnesia isn’t always accurate. I liked that each of the characters were so well defined. You definitely get a clear impression of who they are and just how they fit into Naomi’s life, even if she doesn’t understand it at first. Some of the story is pretty intense though, so I’d only recommend it only if you like the drama.

Review #2 - By Kelly

How would your family react if you couldn't remember them? What friends would stick by your side? What would your boyfriend say if you couldn't remember how or why you fell in love with him?

This book has every element of what a good book is... to me anyway. If you described Naomi in a nutshell, she may not seem like a likeable character. She's got a conceited jock boyfriend and a group of self-centered friends. Naomi Porter is living an average day until she stumbles down the steps at school. She now has amnesia and cannot remember the past four years of her life, nothing past age 12. Naomi's struggle to find who she is is the most relatable point of view I have ever read. Is she this shallow girl people at her school can make her out to be? Or does she have a heart of gold as her dorky best friend Will says?

It's like she is trapped between two worlds and two stories and is trying to make sense of who she is and what she doesn't like. She battles against herself (in a non-schizophrenic way) like most people would day to day. But it's more interesting since we're learning who she is along with her, as the reader. Not to mention, she's blessed with a life full of males. So often you read Young Adult books filled with groups of girls and only one "leading" male or Prince Charming. Another point I really enjoyed about the book is I could bounce from Naomi's relationships comfortably. Normally I do not like more than one "perfect" couple in a book. There's usually the "wrong" guy and the "right" guy. But Zevin made it realistic, clearly giving every male at least 10 good aspects about him (well, maybe only 5 for Ace). It didn't feel like I was waiting on the author to choose a leading male. It felt like I was waiting on Naomi's future to choose it for her. That was a change I haven't yet gotten to experience in a YA book, and it was very refreshing.

Naomi's adopted parents are separated so she only has her tough on the outside, but softy on the inside Father. She has her guy best friend, Will, who treats her like a little sister. He claims to know "everything" about her, and helps her along every step of the way. There's her boyfriend, "Ace", the jock who she can't even remember why she liked in the first place. Last but not least, there's James the brooding mystery Naomi seems to have fallen for (pun intended) ever since her accident. And who wouldn't love a guy that wears band t-shirts, smells like an artist (paint), and got kicked out of his previous school?

If you like audio books, make sure to listen to this one. This was the first ever audio book I had listened to since I was a little girl listening to the Junie B. Jones series before I fell asleep at night. The narrator's voice was perfect for the character, emphasizing every detail, making you think. I had to pause the audio just to sit there and wonder what I would think of the people in my life if I woke up and met them all over again. How they would react and treat me if I had to learn about myself all over again. The intro music for the first chapter was just right, not overbearing but actually pulled you into the story. The whole "track" feels like you really are Naomi and you are following her POV like watching a movie. Speaking of which, there's a Japanese/American film adaption of the book hitting Japan in March 2010.