Purity was a surprisingly poignant book that dealt with some tough topics--love, grief, & worth.
Several years after her mother died, Shelby still manages to keep three promises she made to her. However, the promisesof which one involves listening to her fatherprove hard to keep when Shelbys father asks her to participate with him in the father-daughter Princess Ball, during which the daughter will vow to lead a pure life.
To Shelby, this means one thing: that she must have sex before the Ball, so that the vow will be null. But finding someone to have sex with her in the space of a few weeks proves harder than she thinks. And along the way, Shelby realizes the true meaning of the other two promises she made her mother: to love as much as possible and to live without restraint.
PURITY had a great premise that catches the attention of even the most jaded of readerspromises to a dead person! a ball! SEX!but unfortunately, the book fell flat for me. The story seems to struggle with an identity crisis over whether its lighthearted or philosophical, with the result that it doesnt really succeed at either end.
The good thing is that the characters, their relationships with one another, and the storys romance are done very well. Shelby is a bit of a Jane Everygirl, which was slightly disappointing, as there was great potential for her to have some interesting quirks, and not every story requires an Everygirl at its heart in order for it to be relatable and likable. Fortunately, other characters, such as Shelbys friends, are lovely to read about. Nothing too special about them, but theyre nice and supportive and people whom you want to be your friends. Shelbys relationship with her father is more noteworthy, in that I think that a fair number of daughters can relate to Shelby and her fathers awkward yet fierce love for each other.
What tripped me up about PURITY, however, was its intent. Was it a straightforward novel about overcoming lifelong grief, looking for sex, and finding love instead? If PURITY wanted simply to be a grief novel, I think I would have been okay with it. Grief novels are obviously a dime a number in YA literature these days, but there are still some decent, if perhaps not original, stories among the lot. However, at many points PURITY dipped into random paragraphs about questioning ones belief in God and faith, and I suppose that I didnt feel like the religion aspect of this book was built up enough to support Shelbys questioning thoughts.
PURITY is a noble effort at making different a tried-and-true contemporary YA routine, but ultimately it didnt leave much of an impression on me. Read it if you want a slightly different spin on the classic grief novel, albeit one that doesnt entirely succeed at being different.
To Shelby, this means one thing: that she must have sex before the Ball, so that the vow will be null. But finding someone to have sex with her in the space of a few weeks proves harder than she thinks. And along the way, Shelby realizes the true meaning of the other two promises she made her mother: to love as much as possible and to live without restraint.
PURITY had a great premise that catches the attention of even the most jaded of readerspromises to a dead person! a ball! SEX!but unfortunately, the book fell flat for me. The story seems to struggle with an identity crisis over whether its lighthearted or philosophical, with the result that it doesnt really succeed at either end.
The good thing is that the characters, their relationships with one another, and the storys romance are done very well. Shelby is a bit of a Jane Everygirl, which was slightly disappointing, as there was great potential for her to have some interesting quirks, and not every story requires an Everygirl at its heart in order for it to be relatable and likable. Fortunately, other characters, such as Shelbys friends, are lovely to read about. Nothing too special about them, but theyre nice and supportive and people whom you want to be your friends. Shelbys relationship with her father is more noteworthy, in that I think that a fair number of daughters can relate to Shelby and her fathers awkward yet fierce love for each other.
What tripped me up about PURITY, however, was its intent. Was it a straightforward novel about overcoming lifelong grief, looking for sex, and finding love instead? If PURITY wanted simply to be a grief novel, I think I would have been okay with it. Grief novels are obviously a dime a number in YA literature these days, but there are still some decent, if perhaps not original, stories among the lot. However, at many points PURITY dipped into random paragraphs about questioning ones belief in God and faith, and I suppose that I didnt feel like the religion aspect of this book was built up enough to support Shelbys questioning thoughts.
PURITY is a noble effort at making different a tried-and-true contemporary YA routine, but ultimately it didnt leave much of an impression on me. Read it if you want a slightly different spin on the classic grief novel, albeit one that doesnt entirely succeed at being different.
