Book Thoughts on Ultraviolet by RJ Anderson


Description from Goodreads.com
 Once upon a time there was a girl who was special.
This is not her story.
Unless you count the part where I killed her.

Sixteen-year-old Alison has been sectioned in a mental institute for teens, having murdered the most perfect and popular girl at school. But the case is a mystery: no body has been found, and Alison's condition is proving difficult to diagnose. Alison herself can't explain what happened: one minute she was fighting with Tori -- the next she disintegrated. Into nothing. But that's impossible. Right?


Alison can taste words, she can see feelings and depending on the color of the alphabet she can feel calm or upset. You may think that just sounds completely weird and I have typed the wrong words into that sentence..how can you taste words? But that is the best thing about this story. You do begin to imagine what it would be like to be able to taste a person's name.
I was completely blown away with the story. I really did enjoy the first half of the book more than the second, because of the descriptions. While Alison is living in the institute she has several meetings in which she explains these things. She meets several people whom test her and you can see how she views other people, why some she'll stay a mile away from and why she tends to make friends with others. And it is not the way all of us do it either.
I also enjoyed the dialogue in the book, but that is again founded with the fantastic way in which Alison has to verbally describe to the doctor on what she is seeing, tasting and feeling. How she associates with others in the institute.
The story starts out with her waking up at the hospital. She is being transferred to the mental institute and she is very confused because of her coma-like state she's been in for 2 weeks. She very slowly comes to realize she is there because she was the last person to see Tori alive and maybe responsible for her murder/disappearance. Through the first half of the book she is going to group meetings, private doctor meetings and of course getting to know the other patients. In the second half of the book, it takes a very twist that I did NOT see coming, totally out of left field and she delves more into really finding out what happened to Tori because her body was never found.
I completely recommend this book, especially for those interested in unusual and uncommon mental issues. I have never even heard of it and was very intrigued after reading this to Google it myself and read more about it and found that it has several different levels/forms and  more common than I ever knew.
Even though I may never see the alphabet in colors or taste a persons name or feelings. I sure can now imagine what it might be like, even at the most basic level.  What fascinated me about this story was the detail and description of Alison's psychosis.  I was also fascinated to find out it was a true psychological thing.Synesthesia. Although I have put a link here I highly suggest you do not read up on it until after you read this story. And believe me this story will get you interested in reading more about it. You can also take tests online to see if you may have signs of it as well.
This book was like a Gem in a rock field. I absolutely recommend it. Ultraviolet (Carolrhoda Ya)

Comments

  1. cool tought it was a nother paranormal YA, not really high expectations

    cool will look it up

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