Book Review: Loud Awake and Lost

Title: Loud Awake and Lost

Author: Adele Griffin

Publication Date: November 12, 2013

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Genre: Realistic fiction

Pages: 304

Age Rating: Readers over 14

My Opinion: 5/10

Hi, Readers!  

       Have you ever read one of those books that just flat out confuses you?  Well, I felt that way about Loud Awake and Lost, by Adele Griffin.  The novel's plot line was so intricate that I lost track of what was going on about about three quarters of the way through.

       After Ember gets in a terrible car accident, she forgets the past two months of her life.  Her doctor believes that she is not ready to handle the trauma and stress of what has occurred and that her amnesia will be temporary.  However, knowing this does not help Ember when she attempts to reintegrate herself into her former lifestyle after eight months in a rehabilitation center.  Ember comes home and is enthusiastically greeted by all of her friends, but she can tell that something is off.  She discovers that she had been acting "differently" before the accident - dressing in grunge clothing, listening to new music, and even sneaking around with a boy.  As Ember attempts to recollect her pre-accident memories, she meets a boy named Kai who seems to hold the key to past secrets that her family is hiding.

Loud Awake and Lost could rival PLL

       When I finished the novel, I sat on my bed for a minute and tried to wrap my head around the ending.  I just couldn't figure out what happened until I went step by step through Ember's story.  I understood the gist of the conclusion, but I was not satisfied and there seemed to be a number of loose ends throughout the novel that were never tied up.  Also, I did not find the characters of Loud Awake and Lost particularly likable.  In particular, Kai seemed like a big jerk because author Adele Griffin tried to make him too mysterious and manly.  

       When I attempted to explain the plot of this novel to a friend, she agreed that it was much too complex to be put in writing.  Instead, she suggested that the plot line would make for an excellent TV show.  Once I heard that idea, I agreed completely.  Loud Awake and Lost would make an amazing ABC Family show that would bring in fans of Pretty Little Liars; it just doesn't flow very well in novel form.

Happy reading!