Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

by Gabrielle Zevin

2007

288 pages

"No one knew anything really. I was a bona fide medical mystery. In their genius opinion, the head trauma wasn’t severe enough to have caused the kind of amnesia I had, so they said I was probably repressing, or some such crap. Call me crazy, but I’m pretty sure it was the fall down the stairs.”

Summary: Naomi lost a coin toss and had to return to get the camera from her high school yearbook office. On the way back she slipped and hit her head. When she woke up she couldn’t remember anything from the last four years; not her parent’s divorce, her mom’s new family or her dad’s finances, not her boyfriend or even her best friend Will – nothing. Nothing about who she was makes any sense anymore, the only thing that does is the mysterious James. As Naomi tries to fit pieces of her puzzle back together she’ll have to decide if who she was is who she wants to be.

Review: This was such a great read. I really enjoyed the voice that Gabrielle Zevin gave to Naomi; it made her completely genuine and believable. The story contains the type of whit and sarcasm that I really enjoy. The novel was very well paced, with three equal chapters about before the accident, during her amnesia and after she remembers. The story isn’t so much about being an amnesiac, but rather about what happens when you have the chance to change who you are, which I thought was a really creative spin on a coming of age story. On somewhat of a side note, I thought the other characters were beautifully crafted, each with their own flair and grace. I found this story refreshing and highly recommend it.

You might enjoy Memories of a Teenage Amnesiac if you like books with: strong female voice, witty dialogue, strong supporting characters, real life feel, a focus more on narrative than on fast paced plot

Other books by Gabrielle Zevin: Elsewhere and Margarettown

If you enjoyed Memories of a Teenage Amnesiac you might also like: Boy Proof by Cecil Castellucci, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, This is what I want to tell you by Heather Duffy-Stone, Accidental Love by Gary Soto.

Additional Info: Apparently there is going to be a Japanese movie made ?

Author website here.

Rating: W 4/4 C 4/4 P3/4 O4/4 PP 3/4 CR 3/4
Grade: JS