Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Pages: 358

Intended Audience: Teens

Genre: Dystopian

Notes for parents: Contains mature themes of polygamous marriage, sex and pregnancy, kidnapping, confinement

The Back Cover

Thanks to modern science, every newborn has become a ticking time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden’s genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden’s eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left.

What the Back Cover doesn’t tell you:

This is the first book in The Chemical Garden trilogy.

What’s good?

This is a beautifully written, visual story full of emotion. The plot unfolds slowly and deliberately with fluid and lyrical language. The suspense rises and falls rhythmically, sustaining interest without forcing action. Each character is distinctive, with his or her own important motivations and goals. While the story itself is not unique, it’s told in a fresh and poetical style that reveals the contrasting worlds of those who live free in poverty and those who are confined in wealth.

Best part: The attendants. These young, disposable servants make only a few, brief appearances but they make a huge contribution to the mood and setting.

What’s not so good?

The story moves slowly. This is intentional on the author’s part, but can get a little tedious for those who prefer more action. I found Linden impossible to like. His naïveté was grating and his sheltered childhood was no excuse for the horrible things he allowed to go on around him.

Worst part: Just once I’d like a character to seize the chance to tell the truth when it’s presented to her. “What made you want to be a bride?” Linden asked. Rhine should have answered: “I didn’t want to be a bride! I was kidnapped and drugged and forced to marry you!!”

Recommendations þþþþo

It’s a typical dystopian story told with an original and passionate style. I definitely recommend it for anyone who enjoys good writing. However, impatient readers may want to skip this unhurried tale.

DeStefano, Lauren. Wither. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2011. (Hardcover)