After her mother died, Glory retreated into herself and her music. Her single father raised her as a piano prodigy, with a rigid schedule and the goal of playing sold-out shows across the globe. Now, as a teenager, Glory has disappeared. As we flash back to the events leading up to her disappearance, we see a girl on the precipice of disaster. Brilliant and lonely, Glory is drawn to an artistic new boy, Frank, who moves in next door. The farther she falls, the deeper she spirals into madness. Before long, Glory is unable to play anything but the song "Chopsticks." But nothing is what it seems, and Glory's reality is not reality at all. In this stunningly moving novel told in photographs, pictures, and words, it's up to the reader to decide what is real, what is imagined, and what has been madness all along....
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Originally posted at The Wandering Fangirl.
A story told entirely through images, Chopsticks is a unique and interesting entry into YA, and something I found really intriguing. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite do it for me. Despite my interest in graphics and art to some degree, Chopsticks didn’t click with me. I was too aware that none of it was real, that all of it was created and staged, especially when there were pictures that were sepia-toned or polariod for some reason, when it takes place in the digital era. Polaroid pictures next to IM conversations were just too jarring.
The story itself wasn’t too bad; Glory is a piano prodigy who may or may not have cracked, and who’s madly in love with Frank, the boy next door. The question is whether it’s all real or just a part of Glory’s broken mind. Honestly, I didn’t care in the end. It all felt too distant, and it was hard to connect to either Glory or Frank, despite the many indications via their art that they were incredibly depressed teens. I read a lot of comics, and I’ve come to appreciate that art can and sometimes does tell a story better than words can; this just wasn’t the case in Chopsticks.
0After reading this, I kind of feel like asking: "What the heck just happened?!" What's real for Glory and what is imagined? I'm not sure I'm "bright" enough or can think outside of the box enough to really understand. Maybe that's the point of it all?
Glory is a music prodigy and after her mother tragically passes away, she is completely pulled into her piano for what appears to be comfort. Eventually, after meeting Francisco, Glory falls head over heels in love, but her father is not happy with this. This part, I got...I thought. Not entirely sure, but Jessica Anthony has put together a wonderful novel that is made up of photos, letters, drawings, TV screen shots, and much more. I was disappointed that the YouTube links in the book did not take me to the videos so I could see what the purpose was of them being in the story. I was actually pretty surprised the links didn't work...maybe that's supposed to mean something as well?
An interesting concept, just not sure I understood the whole point of it in the end.
0I read this sitting in the bookstore today. It's mainly pictures and newspaper articles and little things just stitched together to tell a story. But it was cute and simple and understandable. It definitely pulls a person right on in.
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