Dead Gorgeous and Pig Heart Boy.
Pig Heart Boy
This story revolves around a thirteen year old boy called Cameron, who suffers from heart disease. All his prayers about getting a new heart can be answered by a doctor who suggest a xenotransplant. AKA transplanting a pig heart into a human body. He has to deal with the stigma and hate mail and parental infighting and general lack of understanding that he faces in the time preceding the operation and the aftermath.
To this effect, Blackman illustrates the changes in somebody after an event - prior to the heart transplant, he had a crush on a girl named Julie, but afterwards, she isn't allowed in contact with him by her parents so he coughs over her on purpose. His friends note in book that he is changing as a result of the operation as he is stronger and fitter and somewhat meaner to people, such as Julie and Travis, the school bully.
Something I found rather irritating was the ending as it was a kind of cliffhanger (spoilers) with Cameron choosing to accept a new pig heart in the attempt to see his new sibling, however, you don't know if he survives the operation or if he makes it to the birth of his sibling. Considering that it's a children's book, I can kind of understand why as it seems highly likely that a second heart wouldn't let him live for much longer and it would have upset children to learn that the main character had died, whereas if he had survived, it would have been regarded as unrealistic.
However, there were issues with this book - a lot of the story lines felt like they were tied up quickly and easily without any real effort. For instance, (spoilers) Marlon tells his parents about Cameron's transplant, who then tell it to the press. Cameron obviously feels betrayed by Marlon but after he says that they were going to lose their house, Cameron forgives him almost instantaneously. I feel like even teenagers would hold a grudge for a slight bit longer, especially considering the grief and hassle that Marlon caused. This is also shown with the fighting between his parents - they fight like tooth and nail prior to the operation and then the mother reveals that she is pregnant and the fighting stops almost instantly. I don't feel like this is realistic as a new baby does not immediately stop fighting. In most cases, it actually increases fighting.
Overall, I found this book rather choppy in writing style, slightly unrealistic and somewhat laborious to read at times.
Rating = 3 / 5 stars.
Dead Gorgeous
This books revolves around a thirteen year old girl called Nova, who lives at a seaside beach hotel with her older sister Rainbow (or Raye), her younger twin brothers (Jude and Jake(?)) and her parents. Also inhabiting the hotel are guests, such as Andrew and his parents, Miss Eve and Miss Dawn, Mr. Jackson and his ghost brother Liam, who only one of the twins and Nova can see when he's a ghost. During periods of heightened emotions, others around him can see him as well, such as in the case of Raye.
You read this book from every character's point of view, except the five parents in the novel (Nova's parents, Andrew's parents and Liam's father) which provides both understanding for each character but quite a choppy novel. It could be quite difficult to follow and some parts of the novel felt redundant and / or unnecessary.
The main character, Nova, struggles with her self-image and the fact that she is not classically beautiful like her older sister. Resulting from this, she is bulimic. This story line literally hits you from out of nowhere when you were least expecting it, and Blackman goes into detain about it quite graphically, for instance, Nova eats colourful food first like peas or sweetcorn so that she knows when her stomach is empty when she is throwing up. I felt like this is quite disturbing for a children's novel personally. Surrounding this is Nova's lack of attention from her parents, her annoying brothers and the lack of a relationship between her and Raye, who has gone from her little sister to boys. Her relationship with Liam grows exceedingly quickly as a result, with the book lasting the equivalent of a weekend, with occasional flashbacks to ten years previous in Liam's perspective, as she is the only one able to see and interact with Liam, even when she doesn't want to.
The other main character is Liam, a ghost who died in the area around the hotel ten years prior to the beginning of the book and can only be seen by Nova. His younger brother, Joshua, is a guest at the hotel, and has searched the UK for his older brother, however Liam wants him to leave desperately, occasionally allowing him to turn corporeal. Liam's story line is told through flashback chapters, allowing you to know what happened to him alongside his brother's beliefs and actions in the present. At the end of the novel, after the discovery of his body, Liam attempts to kill Raye so that he is not alone for ever, but Nova stops him from throwing her over a cliff and allowing Liam to move on from the hotel, which he had been stuck at since his death as a result of a mental tie which Liam didn't know about.
Upon finishing this book, I had so many questions;
- Who are Miss Eve and Miss Dawn?
- Did Nova tell her family about her bulimia?
- Did Nova manage to solve her bulimia?
- Did Joshua and Father manage to resolve their issues?
- Did Raye and Andrew stay in contact?
- Did Nova stay in contact with Joshua?
Overall, it was a somewhat choppy read, as a result of the changing point of views, but it did provide a clear narrative and understanding and motivation for each character. Parts I didn't feel were plausible, such as the fact that the book is set over one weekend and the strength of Nova and Liam's relationship in that time frame, as well as the fact the hotel is failing anyway - it's set on a seaside. Albeit, it is set in Britain so the British weather may be playing a factor.
Rating = 3 / 5 stars.
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