Dead to You

God, this was hard to rate. I'm going with 4 stars, at least for now.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! No seriously...what the fuck just happened???

The premise: Ethan, 17, was kidnapped when he was 7 years old. He was "raised" by the woman who kidnapped him (around her prostitution and drugs), until she got tired of him and dumped him in a group home. He stayed there for about a year, ran away, and lived on the streets for another year. During this time, he spent a lot of time in the local library searching for missing kids until finally he stumbled upon his real family. We meet him as he's being re-introduced to his family, getting reaquainted with real life, and finding his place in his past, present, and future.

And then the fucking bottom drops show more out. He has an antagonistic relationship with his younger brother and at a certain point, the kid gets it into his head that he's not their missing brother/son. And you go along, thinking he's a total dick, because really who says that? They've all been through enough as it is, what the hell is the point? And then we get to the last 10 pages or so and everything's really starting to come together again--he's accepted by everyone else in the family, school is going ok, he's got a great girlfriend that makes him really happy, he and the brother have come to a basic understanding where they pretend the other doesn't exist. And then BAM, the last 4 or so pages, the cops show up and tell their mom that the remains of their missing son, Ethan, were found and he's been dead since shortly after his kidnapping. They've got the DNA samples provided at the time of kidnapping and they've confirmed it's their kid. So the shitty brother was right and it turns out the Ethan we know really isn't their kid (even though he absolutely believed he was). The end of the story is him taking one last look at the devestation he's caused this family he's come to love so much, and then he makes a run for it.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I mean really.

In some ways it's really frustrating because I really liked the story. The stream-of-consciousness storytelling really worked for me, especially because it's narrating such a broken, fractured story. I can't decide if it ruins the story and makes me hate it or not because everything's a lie in retrospect. And that is so so incredibly sad. I was really pulling for this poor fucked up kid and it's tragic to know that he's just going to go back to living on the streets. It's even worse to know that it'll be so much harder for him after being a part of a real family, even for a short time.

I can't decide how to feel about it, but I AM pretty sure that I won't be reading it again. I'm equally sure, however, that I won't be forgetting it anytime soon. show less

I quite enjoyed this book and found myself cheering for Ethan, hating Blake and absolutely adoring Gracie. Despite its predictable ending, 'Dead to You' gave an interesting insight into the struggles a family had to face with the return of their kidnapped son after a nine year absence.

Title : Dead to You

Series : -
Author : Lisa McMann
Pages : 243
Release Date : Feb 7th 2012
Publisher : Simon Pulse
Format : Hardcover
Source : Library - Borrowed



My Opinion :


Dead to You is fast-paced and heart-wrenching. You don't want to miss. Seriously.


Well, that starts off a review well, doesn't it? Hehe :D

I've read most of Lisa McMann's books; I read her Wake trilogy, Cryer's Cross and The Unwanteds (I am awaiting impatiently for the sequel to Unwanteds! eeeep!), and I loved/liked every single one of them! Lisa McMann is such a great author!

Dead to You is about Ethan De Wilde, a now 16 years old boy who got abducted at 7 years old. He has just returned to his family, but he can't seem to remember anything about when he got abducted or show more before. He 'remeets' his long-lost girl best friend (long lost... because... well. he got abducted, you know), and he learns that he now has a 6 years old little sister. And, he 'remeets' his parents and brother. And... things don't go too smooth. Or smooth at all.

This was a really easy book to read. Easy in the way that the writing is easy to read - not the story. The plot is, in itself, incredibly sad, because Blake, Ethan's brother, doubts that Ethan is really Ethan. He thinks it's suspicious that Ethan doesn't remember anything. And so, he's really not nice to Ethan... but, Blake, doesn't it occur to you than this Ethan doesn't know if he'S the real one. Maybe he thinks he is. But, that doesn't make him a jerk! I mean, come on, Blake!

Blake... I just plainly hated him! As I just mentioned, he could have been nicer to Ethan! I MEAN COME ON! It'S as if he's your arch enemy of something! And, if he'S not your brother, doesn't mean he's a bad person! I mean, Blake, you really deceived me.

Ethan is, I have to say, a bit weird. I mean... he talks about his abductor, Ellen (or Eleanor as he lies in the book to his parents and everyone) as if he loves her. I mean; WHY WOULD YOU LOVE/LIKE SOMEONE WHO STOLE YOU FROM YOUR FAMILY? HELLOOOOOOOOOOO! (Sorry... it just seems so weird! *shakes head* *sighs*)

I really liked Dead to You; I actually read it in one sitting! Which is, for me, something that doesn't happen regularly, since I normally read a 20 minutes here and an hour there. It was suck a quick read it took me an hour and a half! It was just so good, it kept me reading!

Dead to You is GREAT! I enjoyed so much!


RATING

4 roses! show less

Dead to You by Lisa McMann is not a feel good book but at the same time it's not a book to avoid, I'm glad I read it. It begins with sixteen year old Ethan on a train accompanied by a woman from Child Protective Services. He is being taken to meet his biological parents and siblings. Ethan had been abducted from the sidewalk in front of his home when he was seven. He has been away from his family more than half of his life.

Ethan is uncertain but hopeful at becoming part of a family he can't remember. There are painful episodes when he and the family members struggle with the resentment, guilt and pain that surfaces on both sides after his return. Knowing what Ethan is thinking and feeling, we want to wrap our arms around him and soothe show more a wounded, anxious child.

I could hear a cautionary drumbeat as I turned the pages, and it was foretelling an unexpected ending. I don't know what to say about that other than that I'm still thinking about Ethan, and would like to be soothed by a sequel that takes him to a manhood any mistreated man child deserves. show less

Discussing Lisa McMann's [b:Dead to You|11724850|Dead to You|Lisa McMann|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327881072s/11724850.jpg|10458494] under the assumption others have read it seems far easier than writing a review for people who haven't. I will reveal spoilers and kill a reader's curiosity if I prod further than the summary, which informs: seven-year-old Ethan is abducted off the sidewalk in front of his home. After nine years missing, the De Wilde family finally reunites with Ethan, now sixteen. But is it really their Ethan? It's a question that lingers throughout the book, and it's meant to be a force compelling you to continue reading.

Quickly paced, this books shuffles around the mystery of Ethan's identity and past, and show more instead focuses on the ever-growing mountain of family tension. The abduction took the De Wilde's world and flipped it upside down. While Gracie's birth ("the replacement child") may have put them as close to normalcy the family ever expected to reach, Ethan's return sends the disquiet booming. Blake cannot understand why his older brother got into a stranger's car, does not understand how Ethan's memory as Ethan De Wilde is absent, and sets out to prove Ethan as a fraud. Adding to the drama, Blake blames Ethan for the abduction's aftereffects, harboring (understandable) anger for feeling like the neglected child. Gracie--the youngest who was born after Ethan's kidnapping--is adorable in her ignorance, like any child too young to fully grasp what is happening. As a witness to the life before and after the abduction, Blake does not share Gracie's blissful fortune.

Ethan's father proved difficult to assess at first because he's quite a distant character, and I can't be sure of his initial thoughts. Does he think this stranger is his missing child? He does appear to trust that Ethan is (at first), but doubt sprawls across his face and flashes in his eyes. It's not always present or has lasting prominence, but it's there drifting in the background like an afterthought. Hesitation virtually non-existent, the mother is willing to accept Ethan as her missing son and almost instantly denies a DNA test. She does, without a doubt, believe this boy is hers, and a mother knows her own child... Right? Or, maybe, she is a mother seeing and believing what she wants to. She's so desperate to have her son back that she has gone blind, swatting away anything to the contrary like a pesky fly. But it is a pesky fly, one that troubles not just three of the De Wild family, but Ethan himself.

Dead to You has been called a page-turner, and in a way it is. Typical emotion appropriate for the situation oozes out of each character, and despite that the narrative is Ethan's perspective, everyone else is easy to see through and sympathize with. At the same time, McMann does not dwell too heavily on the negative aspects and bounces between Ethan's romantic feelings toward Cami, what Blake's rejection stirs up, and anxiety over Ethan's new versus old life.

However, this story is nothing more to me than a family trying to maintain balance and composure while suppressing the idea that their real son is still lost. Ethan does not remember a single thing about his life pre-abduction, and what he does know comes from the De Wilde's website. The only life Ethan remembers is the one he spent with his kidnapper, who, in time, abandoned Ethan at a shelter. He is someone who aches to be loved, and he finds that affection in Belleville with the De Wildes. The truth to the skepticism surrounding Ethan's identity is made undeniable, for the hints make it all too clear beginning in chapter one. For me, reading this was like reading the manuscript of a Lifetime movie without the campy ending. What more is there to this story?

The book jacket says:

But there's something that's keeping his [Ethan's] memory blocked.
Something unspeakable...

I kept waiting for the unspeakable "something" to show up, but it never came. There is a brief moment when a reporter interviews Ethan and I paused for thought:

Alexandra: Were you harmed? Abused?
Me: I guess you could say not physically harmed by my abductor, not really. But I don't want to discuss that.
Alexandra: Not physically? What do you mean?

By that excerpt alone you may think, Was he sexually abused? It certainly crossed my mind. Victims of sexual abuse can feel hushed into silence by shame, embarrassment, and stigma, and it easily qualifies as something Ethan wouldn't eagerly speak about. But the topic is dropped and never questioned or further poked at, so we can assume he was never harmed in such a way.

So, then, what is unspeakable? I don't know. Ethan was neglected his entire life, and I understand how difficult it can be for a child--anyone, really--to admit to feeling unloved. He also doesn't want to present his motherly figure (who's his presumed abductor) in a negative light. But is all that really unspeakable? I don't think it is, nor do I think Ethan's longing to feel cared for and accepted are unspeakable. In my view, "unspeakable" hints toward something uncomfortable for its horrific nature.

This book made many poor attempts to keep me guessing about Ethan, but I had all the answers needed just by reading the first few chapters. The end confirms Ethan's identity, yet it feels so abrupt that it's difficult to acknowledge as the conclusion. I know the story after the ending is not the story McMann wanted to tell (or she would have written about that instead!), but given a decent number of extra pages and the end may have felt more final.

A little frustrated by the predictability, what I think McMann does accomplish is a strong sense of realistic fiction. No moments felt fabricated, as each character is presented with authenticity and made believable through their unique complexions. Although McMann doesn't present anything new or different in Dead to You, not allowing it to stand out among many other similar stories, it is a fair way to pass time. show less

The Good Stuff

Ethan is a very likeable and realistic character, really felt for him which made the ending so brutal
Loved the relationship between Ethan and Gracie, it was so sweet and real
McMann's style of writing is absolutely brilliant, straight to the point and heartbreakingly honest with no fluff or extra's added - I will read whatever she writes
Plenty of twists and turns
Some nice dark humour
Once I started I couldn't put it down -- put aside a couple of hours, you are not getting anything done once you crack this baby open (yes honey, this is why the house looks like a pigsty)
Heartbreaking, raw and honest
Liked Cami - she was a perfect fit for Ethan
Positively portrayed Librarian (Yes I know I have issues but hello can I show more tell you how many stories have nasty repressed or slut Librarians - it gets real old)

The Not So Good Stuff

The ending broke my heart, plain and simple (Thanks for the heads up Teri, I made it through but could definitely understand your warning)
Please god tell me there is going to be a sequel

Favorite Quotes/Passages

"There was this one librarian guy. He let me hang out at the library and use the computer as long as I didn't disrupt anybody."

"Oh, Ethan..." And I feel so cold and twisted up inside. This mother sitting next to me is the one I should love, but I don't. And the mother I do love is the one I should hate. But I can't.
I fall apart

"She grins. "It's okay. I can't believe you're back. Everybody thought you were dead."
"Yeah, I figured." I'm sure I'll hear that a few more times before everybody settles down, too. It's pretty sick thing to say to somebody, if you ask me."

Who Should/Shouldn't Read

If you are a parent, this will be an extremely tough read
Not for those looking for light and fluff
I would say for the more mature YA reader, nothing too sexual or violent but it does deal with darker subject matter - so not for the sensitive type
Would be good for a class discussion

4.5 Dewey's

I received this from Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review show less

I really love Lisa McMann. She wooed me with her Wake trilogy, and sealed the deal with Cryer's Cross. I've yet to read The Unwanteds, but I'm sure it will be amazing, too. Dead to You was no exception to the McMann rule.

The idea behind the story definitely intrigued me. We always read about the 'after' or the 'during.' There are tons of books out there about kids being kidnapped. The ordeal the family goes through, or the child's escape. But Dead To You is different. This time, we get to read about a family reunited. A family healing. I can't think of any book that looks at this issue from this particular angle, and so I knew I had to get my hands on it. (It's been on my wish list since its announcement.)

McMann wrote Dead To You with show more her usual simplicity. The quiet style of writing is one of my favorites. She writes with a quick wit, and while on the surface it seems simple, the writing has a richness to it too. I was easily captivated by the very first page, and didn't -- couldn't put this book down until it was over.

I really liked Ethan, until the very end. But I won't give away why! Throughout the whole book though, I really felt for him. I could never imagine what it would be like to walk in his place, or even his family's. All of them -- his parents, and younger sister and brother -- have been through so much, but somehow found a way to keep it together. The characters each had their own distinctions and inner conflicts, which made them that much more real, and made me root for them even more. Seeing the sadness juxtaposed with the hope really hit me.

My favorite character by far was Gracie, Ethan's six year old sister. She was spunky and sassy and adorable. Gracie was full of quick one-liners. But more than that, she had that innocence about her that kids have, that gave her the ability to accept Ethan without any questions. Their relationship was easy. She and Ethan fell into step as brother and sister almost immediately, even though they had never known each other and she had been dubbed The Replacement. If there was one person who really helped Ethan adjust back to family life, it was Gracie.


As with all Lisa McMann books, there was a wonderful end twist. I loved the eerie feeling throughout the book, the mystery lurking just below the surface, like a monster. You know it's there but can't quite grasp it. McMann has a talent for that sort of writing. The end wasn't all that shocking, but it just hurt.

I really wish I could go on, but I'll spill.

Everything said, I really loved this book. It's simplicity packed a serious punch, and like all McMann books (can you tell I'm a fan?) it was a quick, easy read, but was by no means light. I really recommend this for those of you who love mysteries, eerie books without being too freaked out, and those who like to read stories about abduction. Dead To You is wonderful, and definitely different. show less