FlumeAward – Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future by A.S. King
I am really hoping others review this book! I’ve ‘stolen’ bits from other reviews because I couldn’t decide what to write. It was a weird book. Dystopia? Sci-fi? Contemporary? All of them? I don’t know. On the one side, we’ve got Glory dealing with her long-dead mother and her suicide. She’s still deeply affected by it and not becoming her and understanding the why. On the other side, we’ve got Glory after drinking a dead bat–weird right?— and its effect. Like seeing visions of one’s family–past and future– and eventually, seeing her owns. She’s in a big point in her life–life after high school. She isn’t going to college and wants to move on with her life. Both things affect her, but what’s really going to help her move on with her life? This book is one of those books that are so deep, so full of thoughts all over. It’s hard to catch them all. I just think this book was too weird for me and I was disappointed because I totally dig King as a writer. ANYONE ELSE??
~Kathy Watson, Kimball Library (Atkinson)
This is the first book of King’s I’ve read. I truly enjoyed reading it. I found Glory’s visions of the future the most interesting part. I felt like there was a big plot point left unresolved – her friendship with Ellie, but that’s reflective of real life. I’m not sure the connection of Glory’s visions and her present was clearly established. I think it was a good and interesting read (and I’d hand it to readers who liked The Future of Us or Every Day). But I don’t think it needs to be on the final list unless we’re lacking in this type of book. Intriguing, but not blow-your-mind intriguing.- Liz G, Merrimack PL
Odd but King tells a good story. Don’t think it should be a final contender though. Rachel Hopkins, Salem HS