"Abandon" by Meg Cabot

(Point, May 2011, 304 pp., $17.99, ISBN:9780545284103, HC, YA Fic) 


Pierce Oliviera died when she was fifteen. She has seen the underworld and met it's caretaker, and the Pierce who comes back to life is forever changed. In a story loosely based on the myth of Hades and Persephone, Pierce must avoid being captured again and dragged down by her dark suitor. However, it is not death who wants to hurt her, but something far more sinister.  


"He was a death deity. I was a senior in high school. This was never going to work." (262)


This quote about sums it up, and the main character is right - it doesn't work. Since seeing this book at Book Expo, I have been too eager to get my hands on it: Greek Mythology, Hades & Persephone, Key West? How could this not be fantastic? 


First, this is a 300 page book. Since Harry Potter and the Twilight series came out it was clear to publishers that teen attention span did not go the way of the dodo. However, authors need to be reasonable and know when to scale back on unnecessary verbiage. It reads like a Dicken's novel - and I don't mean melodramatic. Was Cabot paid by the word? A good editor could have cut this story to half of it's size and provided an exciting, fast-paced read. Instead, main characeter Pierce spends far too much time repeating the same facts over and over again and making references to past/future events that never pan out. Ok! Hannah was your BEST friend, I get it. Oh, you're telling me that you wish this thing hasn't happened because you know how badly it's going to turn out, but you're not going to tell me about it until several chapters later if you tell me at all?


Second, in reference to the statement above, there are many loose threads that read as important at the time, yet do not get mentioned or explained ever again. How did her uncle end up in jail? What happened to him there? What did her father's company do that caused an environmental disaster and how is he involved? What is his profession? What beef does her cousin Alex have against Seth Rector? And several more that I can't mention because they would spoil the plot.   


Third, the characters are not fully developed. It's hard enough figuring out what kind of person Pierce is, it's also difficult to figure out the motivations of other characters around her. John being the hero, I feel I know nothing about him. How can I root for a hero I know nothing about? And her friends, cousin, uncle, all make statements and do things that are not explained. Most importantly - what is up with grandma? (I won't mention any more, you will understand when you read it through to the end.)


Fourth, eh, it doesn't matter at this point. Let's just say there are A LOT of things wrong with this book and I am not anticipating the next installment. Sure, some of my questions above will be answered, but it will probably take another 300 pages to do it and I'm just not feeling the story deep enough to care. And it feels like Cabot isn't feeling it either. 


The saving grace for this novel comes at the very end in the author's notes. Cabot recommends Edith Hamilton's Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. This is my go-to book for all things mythology and I'm glad that a very popular author like Meg Cabot is recommending such a great book to a large youth audience. Perhaps some good will come out of this after all?