Title: The Adoration of Jenna Fox
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Genre: Young Adult, Speculative Fiction
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: April 29, 2008
Hardcover: 272 pages
Stand alone or series: Stand alone novel
Summary: (from amazon.com)
Who is Jenna Fox? Seventeen-year-old Jenna has been told that is her name. She has just awoken from a coma, they tell her, and she is still recovering from a terrible accident in which she was involved a year ago. But what happened before that? Jenna doesn’t remember her life. Or does she? And are the memories really hers?
This fascinating novel represents a stunning new direction for acclaimed author Mary Pearson. Set in a near future America, it takes readers on an unforgettable journey through questions of bio-medical ethics and the nature of humanity. Mary Pearson’s vividly drawn characters and masterful writing soar to a new level of sophistication.
Review:
I used to be someone.
Someone named Jenna Fox.
That’s what they tell me. But I am more than a name. More than they tell me. More than the facts and statistics they fill my head with. More than the video clips they make me watch.
More. But I’m not sure what.
In the not-too-distant future, Jenna Fox has been lying in a coma for a full year after a tragic Accident. Upon waking up, eighteen year-old Jenna is completely disoriented and cannot remember anything–not even who she is. Her parents and grandmother have taken Jenna away from their home in Boston to a large, secluded home in California. Her parents encourage her to watch old video clips of herself, telling her that gradually her memories will start to come back. Her grandmother Lily, however, remains in the background, uncomfortable and cold towards Jenna.
A stranger in her own home and in her own skin, Jenna feels completely alone and lacking any sense of identity. She watches the vids and she tries to grasp a connection with the girl on the screen, but cannot. She never refers to the video girl as “me”; always differentiating the loved, adored, girl in the vids as “Jenna”. Gradually, flashes and fragments of Jenna’s life before the Accident filter into her memory–except her memories are strange and inexplicable. She remembers mundane things like shopping for socks, but then she also remembers things she should not be able to remember. Her parents–who have loved and adored Jenna for being their miracle baby, who have videotaped her more than any child should be videotaped, who have doted on her and who are so proud of her–are keeping a secret. And slowly, Jenna comes to realize the enormity of what it means to be herself.
More than anything The Adoration of Jenna Fox is a tale of self-discovery, both metaphorically and literally. Her family tells her who she is and how much they love her, the vids show her that Jenna was outwardly perfect–a beautiful girl, an outstanding student, a gifted ballet dancer, a good daughter and granddaughter and friend–but the new Jenna sees how much of her old life depended on what values and acceptance others gave her, not so much what she herself wanted or felt. At the same time, she struggles to reconcile her fleeting past memories with the new Jenna, and she desperately strives to make her own, valid, identity.
The novel itself is written beautifully, narrated by Jenna in the first person. Beginning with short confused, choppy chapters, Jenna’s narrative is interspliced with definitions of words, almost-poems, and questions as she tries to apply them to herself and her life. For example:
Pieces
Isn’t that what all of life is anyway?
Shards. Bits. Moments.
Am I less because I have fewer, or do the few I have
mean more?
Am I just as full as anyone else? Enough?
Pieces.
Allys saying “I like you.”
Gabriel snorting out bread, freeing me to laugh.
And Ethan reminding me how much I do know.
Pieces.
I hold them like they are life itself.
They nearly are.
Along with Susan Beth Pfeffer’s Life As We Knew It, this is one of the finest first-person narrations in a young adult novel (or any genre, for that matter) that I have ever read. Jenna, though she might not know who or what she is, comes across as completely, wholly genuine. Jenna’s family is just as real and expertly written; Jenna’s mother and father, who adore their only daughter so much that they cannot possibly let her go; Jenna’s Grandmother, who disagrees, but will do anything for her own daughter (Jenna’s mother). The other characters that I loved in this novel are Ethan, the boy with a love for Thoreau and no social skills, and Allys, the passionate girl who has lost her natural limbs to global antibiotics resistance.
The (near) futuristic setting also is very nicely done–besides some plausible medical advances, things in this setting do not seem too different from today. The last polar bear has died, the second woman has been elected as president of the United States, a new planet has been discovered in our solar system. We already have video recorders that burn onto dvds and can be uploaded to our computers (“netbooks” in the novel), the internet, rudimentary nanotechnology and an established history of biotechnology. The names may be a bit different, but the concepts are very tangible–which is something I appreciate as a reader. As this novel is set in the not-so-distant future, many of these advances do not demand too great a suspension of disbelief. The plot is evenly paced with Jenna’s self questioning and her frustration with her strange body and returning fragments of memories–though the big twist is pretty easily predicted from the onset of the novel, it is still an exciting, compulsive read.
In addition to being a compelling story about a girl struggling with her sense of self and a futuristic medical drama, this novel also raises some big questions, both ethical and psychological. What does it mean to be Jenna Fox? What does it take to be human? Are we merely the sum total of our memories and experiences? This is an incredibly thought-provoking book, and I’m even more impressed by the fact that it never once comes off as preachy. Ms. Pearson raises all these intriguing ethical questions without presuming a “right” answer, and I applaud her for this beautiful, provocative novel.
I was unable to put this book down, and finished The Adoration of Jenna Fox easily in a day–though the questions the book raised and implications of the story resonated with me for much longer. Highly recommended.
Additional Thoughts: This book reminded me a lot of another young adult novel I enjoyed (many moons ago), Eva by Peter Dickinson.
Other novels that fans of The Adoration of Jenna Fox might enjoy are the aforementioned Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer, and Unwind by Neal Shusterman. And, if this sort of deep ethical questioning of humanity is up your alley, I recommend you watch Battlestar Galactica.
Verdict: A gorgeous, haunting novel and one I wholeheartedly recommend. The first book I’ve read in 2009, and what a way to start the year off!
Rating: 8 Excellent
Reading Next: The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking Book 1) by Patrick Ness
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34 Responses to Book Review: The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
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This sounds wonderful. Always good to hear about an excellent YA novel. Definitely adding this one to my wish list.
This book is one on my ‘to buy’ list, thanks for reminding me.
SciFiGuy–I definitely recommend you give [i]The Adoration of Jenna Fox[/i] a read. Even if you know what the ‘twist’ is, it’s so beautifully written and such a thought provoking story, it’s definitely worth it.
Cate–No problem! I hope you enjoy this one, and let us know what you think when you get a chance to read it
This book sounds fascinating, thanks for the rec.
“A gorgeous, haunting novel..”
That was all I needed to see. This sounds like something I need right now. I will keep an eye out for this one. Thanks for the review.
I am NOT a 1st person pov lover…but your review has my interest piqued. It sounds like an incredible book and I’m surprised that it’s YA, frankly. Great review!
December–You’re very welcome
I hope you are able to give [i]Jenna Fox[/i] a try.
Brie–If you’re in the mood for a beautifully written, resonating novel…this is definitely one to pick up
I can’t wait to see what you think of this one!
Tracy–1st person POV is definitely a tricky narrative. I’ll either love it or hate it…in this case, I don’t think this book could have been written in any other way. Jenna’s thoughts and confusion are such an integral part of the story as she struggles to claim her own identity, and it simply would not have worked in a 3rd person narrative.
It certainly is very thought-provoking and mature in this sense. Honestly, I think many YA novels raise some of the toughest issues and explore them better than certain adult novels, especially in the realm of speculative fiction. Maybe its because YA novels are constrained and cannot have as much extraneous gore or what-have-you? I dunno. (I’ve been on something of an SFF Young Adult fiction kick lately, don’t mind me!)
In any case, I hope you get the chance to read this novel!
I remember reading this novel in April or May of 2008 and it remains one of the best YA reads either. Plus, isn’t it fantastic to see talented female authors writing speculative that isn’t just romance?
Ok, how come I’ve never been to your awesome blog before? I will definitely be back!
I will definitely keep an eye out for this one, too. It looks fabulous. A terrific review, Thea.
Re: YA – I totally agree with you, although I believe that it is because YA doesn’t have the same constraints as adult fiction, especially in this genre, which enables it to explore such themes – sometimes more – effectively. I am a YA fan though so I could be a little biased.
This books sounds really interesting. It will definitely be one I look for.
A lot of YA books do raise some of the toughest questions, but I sometimes wonder if that’s because being a young adult can be one of the toughest times in life where people are trying to figure out who they are and who they want to be anyway.
Chandra–I’m so glad you loved this book as well. It’s definitely one that lingers long after you’ve finished reading it. And I agree–although there was a romantic side/subplot that was nicely handled, it’s nice to see female authors in this YA SFF genre!
Lenore–Hi and welcome! Thanks for the kind words, and I do hope you’ll be back to enjoy more of our reviews and assorted sundries
Kris–Thank you
And I’m with you on all counts. For all that Adult fiction is supposedly less constrained since all content is fair game, this ‘freedom’ can actually be quite limiting in itself (or there is such a focus on trying to be smart and political and Epic–and some of these deeper core questions get lost). YA speculative fiction rules. Ana and I are actually planning on writing a post about the genre soon…if we ever get off our lazy asses and get around to it!
Karin–Excellent point, and I think you really nail it. Being a teenager is hard, and it is a time when we try to establish our own identities and sort out our feelings; we try to break free from parents who are just doing their best to love and protect us–and this comes across loud and clear in [i]The Adoration of Jenna Fox[/i]. Great stuff.
Hey Thea!
I really thought I commented on this days ago… it must have not gone through. Anyway, thanks so much for the review. This book sounds really intriguing. I saw it spotlighted on a lot of YA review sites over the months, but always thought it sounded so sad. Your review kind of sparked my interest in it, though. And I did join a YA Reading Challenge for 2009 ….
Hi Christine! *waves*
Oh I definitely recommend you give [i]Jenna Fox[/i] a read. It’s very poignant and definitely not a lighthearted tale…but it’s not depressing or too heavy, either. I think you’d like it
YA challenge 2009? I’m intrigued! I’ve been reading so much YA fiction lately…
YES! You should totally do it. Your read/review of Jenna Fox already counts!
I blogged about the YA Reading Challenge recently. I have a link to the hosting blog there.
Ladies, I’m going back through all your dystpoic and post-Apocolytic reviews and making a list of ones to try. This one sounds great! Very curious about what the parent’s secret is.
awesome book !!!
How many weeks does jenna spend in her house before she goes out side and meets Mr. Bender
This was a really good book but I don’t remember where it took place
it was great i loved it
loved it
Hey OMG this book is amazing the movie is soooo cool it’s amazing how she keeps it all under control instead of totaly freaking it out to the world. Or by not doing anything stupid like commiting sucide she wants to be herself once again but she wants to know what to do first.
Its amazing that this is really good for a english response at year 11 english.
i hate the book! so boring
I just recently read this book and absolutley LOVED it! For a sci-fi fan like me, it was fantastic!
Jenna Fox is a troubled girl who has to start a new life. BORING!!!
No one cares about her stupid self discovery, she should just be thankfull for a new life, and get over it, no need to bore people with a ridiculously tedious and uneventful plot.
After rummaging around on this site for something I fancied reading I came across this recommendation…Read the book this weekend and totally loved it! thankee, excellent book
i finished this book today and it was amazing
hi hi
i have just found this website and its 2011!! and this is the first proper book i have ever read and looooooooovvvveeeeddddd it so much, couldnt help but turn the page.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
if anybody still uses this site could you please comment or email me….id like to know favourite quotes or important themes that stood out to readers