The Compulsive Reader: Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder

Today is the release day for Lisa Schroeder's third book, Chasing Brooklyn!

It's been a year since Lucca died, but one year is not nearly long enough for his girlfriend Brooklyn and his brother Nico to move on. They're both still trapped in a well of grief and despair, with Nico constantly turning to running to run away from the pain, and Brooklyn clinging to the past, writing letters to Lucca every day. But when another friend of Lucca's, Gabe, commits suicide, he begins haunting Brooklyn. At the same time, Nico is suddenly being haunted by his brother, who is urging him to reach out to Brooklyn.

Both Nico and Brooklyn are scared and hurt, but unless they can overcome the fear they've let rule them, they can't move on....and neither can Lucca or Gabe.

Chasing Brooklyn is a book about pain, grief, healing, and hope. The story starts one year after Lucca's death and finds Brooklyn and Nico still struggling with every day life, unable to just move on like nearly everyone around them. Their reactions to Gabe's death are very realistic, and not long after that is when the hauntings begin. The book focuses more on the changing, conflicting feelings of the protagonists as they sort through their grief and slowly begin to trust each other rather than the supernatural elements, though they do serve an integral role in the novel.

The free verse style the book is written in allows for more emotion and feeling to be poured into the story, which is nicely accented by the beautiful and vivid imagery that Schroeder employs. At the same time, Chasing Brooklyn has a very authentic teen voice, with references to popular bands and school and parties that make this story seem reachable and real. Many teens will be able to pull a lot of meaning out this book that they can apply not only to grief and death, but to nearly every situation in life, and that is to not let fear overcome you, but allow love to prevail. Chasing Brooklyn will suck readers in with its heartbreaking and yet empowering pull.

Cover Comments: I like the blues used in this cover, and the hands to the glass is just eerie enough for this ghost story, but what I focus on is the girl, and the expression on her face. This is a great cover, and I think it fits the story very well.

ARC received from author.