THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX by Mary E. Pearson

_ Set in the future, The Adoration of Jenna Fox is about 17 year-old Jenna who is recovering from a serious car accident. Watched over by a protective mother and a cold, distant grandmother, she struggles to piece together bits of her past, pieces of which are missing and which her adoring parents are determined to keep her from learning. But Jenna, who is quickly learning the skill of disobedience, is determined to learn the truth. And it is only after she has that she realizes her real struggle has just begun.

The narration, interspersed by poems, is lyrical and introspective yet remains focused; the setting and premise are provocative; and the plot is wholly engaging. My one reservation is that I found the epilogue to be a bit anti-climatic and unnecessary.

This haunting story stayed with me for some days afterward. Not just because of the story, but because of the questions it raised within me about what lines should and should not be crossed in the attempts to save human life as our medical technology becomes more and more advanced. I read it two months ago and I still haven’t decided. Now that’s a book that stays with you.

Thanks to several folks at the Southern Breeze wik 2010 workshop who recommended this book to me back in October.