Emmy & Oliver
Robin Benway
Emmy has lived in the same house for all her life. Born on the same day as her best friend Oliver, it seems like nothing will ever change. But when he is taken away from her for 10 years – spirited away by his father during a visit, Emmy and her family just have to keep coping. When Oliver returns, it seems like things haven’t changed – and yet they have in such ways that the players in the game don’t know what to do next.
I honestly don’t know why I kept reading this novel. It wasn’t anything particularly special. I guess this was just a nice, easy, sort of comforting read that I knew everything would turn out ok in the end. No big revelations to shake the boat, no real climax towards the end. Everything just turned out just fine. And I’m sorry if that’s a spoiler to you, but honestly, the minute you read the first chapter, you’ll twig on it.
It’s an interesting examination of what happens after someone is abducted, and the far-reaching consequences of that. But the thing is, most people aren’t lucky enough to get to come home. Oliver’s mother has moved on without him, but Emmy obviously hasn’t. Although we only get Emmy’s side of the story, it feels as if we also get a good look into Oliver’s psyche as well.
The romance in this is clean, the characters aren’t into anything particularly bad, and it’s a nice enough novel. There’s some love interest in non-straight couples, some family love, love love love for all of the characters. If anything, Caro gets the short shift! It’s no wonder she goes completely nuts at Emmy at one point in the novel…
There isn’t anything wrong with this novel, there’s just nothing particularly spectacular about it. I’ll be giving it 3 stars, and suggesting that it’s a great novel for reluctant teenage readers.
