Bookanistas: IMAGINARY GIRLS
Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at 10:54PM
IMAGINARY GIRLS by Nova Ren Suma
These are my levels of love for a book:
LEVEL 1: I love a book so much that I drool all over it on my blog.
LEVEL 2: I love a book so much that as soon as I finish I email everyone I know and then I drool all over it on my blog.
LEVEL 3: I love a book so much that I start emailing people when I’m only 50 pages into the book because I can’t bear the thought of them not knowing about this book for a second longer and then I finish reading and then email some more and then I drool all over it on my blog.
This book was a LEVEL 3 love for me, as evidenced by Jill Hathaway, one of the recipients of my crazy, nonsensical emails, which she documented because she likes to embarrass me, which you can now witness over here. Really, I’m usually a little more coherent than that. (Um, at least I think I am.) But this book had that effect on me.
Oh, the summary. Right. Here it is (from Goodreads):
Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.
But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.
Okay, back up a second. This book is about that and it’s also something else. Because something's a little off with Ruby. And something's a lot off with London Hayes...
This book is something that can’t quite be classified, which is honestly my absolute favorite type of book. This book is both real and not quite real, or a reality that’s not exactly reality, or it is reality, just not a typical reality. Am I making any sense? Probably not. There is something not exactly typical in the ordinary world here. But it’s still treated as ordinary, in a haunting, creepy, something’s not quite right, WAIT A SECOND WHAT THE CRAP IS GOING ON HERE? kind of way.
It is haunting.
The depth of characters and relationships are so complex and real and imperfect, and therefore perfect.
It is absolutely beautiful.
You can read the beginning if you hop over here and click on the image of the book. And then you can see why, exactly, I fell into this book so hard. And then you can count the days until Tuesday, which is when it comes out.
An incredible, incredible book.
Coming June 14, 2011

Come see what the rest of the Bookanistas are up to this week!
Elana Johnson and Stasia Ward Kehoe savor Bad Taste in Boys
LiLa Roecker celebrates The Summer of the Bear
Christine Fonseca has got a surprise for a Bookanista buddy (ooh—curious?)
Beth Revis interviews Blood Magic author Tessa Gratton
Carolina Valdez Miller enjoys a special celebration
Jessi Kirby gushes about Imaginary Girls
Bethany Wiggins is crazy about Delirium
Shana Silver sings praises for Starcrossed
Jen Hayley applauds Possession
Veronica Rossi hails Hereafter
Carrie Harris glories in Texas Gothic
Bookanistas
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