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The Marbury Lens (The Marbury Lens #1)

by Andrew Smith (Goodreads Author)

3.62 of 5 stars 3.62 · rating details · 1,460 ratings · 439 reviews

Sixteen-year-old Jack gets drunk and is in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is kidnapped. He escapes, narrowly. The only person he tells is his best friend, Conner. When they arrive in London as planned for summer break, a stranger hands Jack a pair of glasses. Through the lenses, he sees another world called Marbury.

There is war in Marbury. It is a desolate and murde...more

Hardcover, 1st Edition, 358 pages

Published November 9th 2010 by Feiwel & Friends

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Jan 26, 2013 The Holy Terror rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopia, young-adult, what-am-i-getting-myself-into, borrowed, horror, science-fiction, dark-fantasy, 2011

Meh. It wasn't that bad, it wasn't that good; it was barely middling. A unique and fascinating concept that got bogged down by constant repetition, an ending that sputtered, and completely unimaginative homophobia.

I was originally drawn to this title because of how disturbing I heard it was; inappropriate for young adults, gruesome and gory, disgusting. Unfortunately, it wasn't all that bad. True, there were some parts that were a bit gross, mostly all the puking the hero does, but really, it's...more Meh. It wasn't that bad, it wasn't that good; it was barely middling. A unique and fascinating concept that got bogged down by constant repetition, an ending that sputtered, and completely unimaginative homophobia.

I was originally drawn to this title because of how disturbing I heard it was; inappropriate for young adults, gruesome and gory, disgusting. Unfortunately, it wasn't all that bad. True, there were some parts that were a bit gross, mostly all the puking the hero does, but really, it's no worse than what you can find if you watch any horror movie. If I was a teenager still, this is the type of book I would probably pick up, but now, if I was a librarian or bookseller, this isn't something I would hand to a 12-year-old to read. A story that contains cut-off genitalia and mutilated corpses is not something I would blindly recommend, even to an adult. With that being said though, I personally have read worse in terms of gore.

The author has obvious issues with both nudity and sexuality, and I think to a less mature mind these ideas could be damaging, more so than the violence. The constant homophobic comments by Jack's friend are ridiculous, immature, and offensive. Jack almost gets raped by a guy in the beginning of the book, and then he gets molested by another guy on a plane, and throughout the whole book we're beaten over the head with "being gay is bad." This is, to me, the most disgusting part of this whole book. And then, just about every character spends some part of the book naked as well, and I'm not entirely sure why. Plus Jack's friend constantly ribs him for being a virgin, and then they both have copious amount of sex with girls whom they've just met and confess to "love." There's also a side story with a completely different character who gets hanged after he has sex with the girl he loves. I was just ... astounded by all of this. Every single instance of sex in this book has issues, and there's absolutely nothing healthy about any of it.

Jack is not a character you can like easily; he's kind of a dick. He has people who love him, yet he pushes them away and acts like a tool most of the time, even before the whole kidnapping thing. His best friend, Connor, tries to help him, but by the time he gets there it's already too late. Jack's two buddies in Marbury were slightly more likable, but I still didn't think I spent enough time with them to really get attached. The girls who were introduced were throwaway characters; they could have been hit by a bus and I wouldn't have cared. Seth's story was heartbreaking, and the one I enjoyed the most, even though it was so short. And Henry ... was Henry even real? I have no idea.

As for the plot, here's the short version: Boy gets drunk, gets kidnapped and molested but escapes, boy travels abroad and meets weird guy who gives him strange glasses that allow him to travel to an alternate hell dimension, boy's friend joins him abroad and calls him "gay" 587 times, boy and friend meet girls whom they have sexual relations with, boy's mental state slowly declines, hilarity ensues.

The opening shows us a terrifying glimpse of what can happen when you trust the wrong person. Jack's slow decline into madness after his kidnapping and subsequent use of the glasses could have been used as an allegory for drug use - depression - ptsd - or what have you, but the author never took it that far. He kept taking it just to the point where it could be really meaningful, and then he'd pull back and ruin the moment. This book could have been so much more than it was, and in the end I was just left disappointed. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.(less)

33 likes · like · see review

Feb 26, 2011 Flannery rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, kcls, young-adult-teen, read-in-2011, liked-listening-prob-hate-reading, reviewed-2011

Alright, I'm gonna give it to you straight--I've spent 20 years of my life in school. TWENTY. The number of amazing reviews of this book on Goodreads makes me feel like maybe I am too stupid to understand why this book is "so awesome."

Baby Ruth?

Maybe the awesomeness was lost in the translation to audiobook? I really don't think so though. So, we start out with Jack--a California high schooler. Jack and his best friend Conner spend the entire book being teenage boys to the max. I was listening to this in the car one day on my way to class and there is reverse cowgirl sex on the first CD. I guess kids are crazier now than they were when I was in high school--man, we thought we were rebels drinking in the woods for chrissakes. Also, they spend the entire book calling each other gay. (Dude, you are so gay) There was also a classic incident where I was listening to this while washing the dishes and my dad came in as the book went something like this: (view spoiler) Not kidding. My dad was like, "what the hell is this?" Ummm, a "young adult" book? *shrug*

I would address the plot of this book it really doesn't lend itself to a rehash. It starts out as a kidnapping/pedophilia storyline, goes to a bromance jaunt to London, switches to a quasi-fantasy wherein Jack deals with his trauma by escaping to a world through magic glasses, and ends up with ghosts, cannibalism, a really serious relationship*, and a WTF ending. Am I making you want to read this yet?

A lot of people seem to root their reviews in how great it is that Andrew Smith dealt with such horrific topics. Ugh. Okay, I was totally with him for the first third or so of the book but he lost me. I'm gone.

Every once in awhile, I wished I had my Kindle or a pen and paper so I could write down memorable quotations. Two things I remember distinctly enjoying were the metaphor of people as Matroyshka nesting dolls and of "mind the gap" being used as an expression to warn people of the dangers of transition in life, not just in getting on and off the underground.

I always feel like I am being a total a-hole in reviews if I didn't really enjoy a book. This book is NOT bad--I'm sure some of my GR friends might like it...I'm giving this 2.75 stars.

*If you are starting a new relationship and the other person starts bringing up super serious issues and lets on that they are a psychiatric mess, like the same week you meet them, would you take care of them and really work at it? Neither would I. (less)

42 likes · like · see review

Nov 04, 2010 Jen Bigheart (I Read Banned Books) rated it 5 of 5 stars

I don't think I've read another book similar to The Marbury Lens. It was truly disturbing - in a fantastic way! I wasn't able to predict a single moment. Awesome!

UPDATE: November 4th, 2010

This review will be a little unconventional. I went back and read my original review on Good Reads and thought, "What" That's it? Lame" So here I am trying to write a longer review. Problem? Words come to mind - easily come to mind, but they don't seem to want to form complete sentences. Instead of fighting it...more

9 likes · like · see review

Jan 20, 2011 Lea rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2011, acquired-2011, ya, reviews

NOTE: I don't know how to hide "spoiler" reviews, & I'm not really sure this qualifies anyway, but be warned -- this MAY contain stuff you'd rather not know if you haven't read the book yet.

Okaaaaay... How to review "The Marbury Lens"...

I'm going to assume the plot points are covered (more than) adequately in other reviews, so I'm going to skip all that & focus on my thoughts on the book instead.

First of all, I find it extremely difficult to believe anyone older than 10 would find this...more

19 likes · like · see review

May 05, 2013 Ariel rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, one-star

Well this book was just a complete train-wreck. Honestly: OUCHIE WOWCHI.

I had loads of problems with the book but here are the top three:
1) The plot was POINTLESS. It had no direction of any kind.. I never knew what we were trying to accomplish and it made me feel disconnected to the story and perpetually bored.
2) The writing was all over the place! We had third person, first person, random characters, too too too much repetition, over the top vulgarity and gore for no reason, plot holes, soooo...more

3 likes · like · see review

Apr 19, 2011 Smash added it

Shelves: book-covers-i-love, gifted, favorites, fiction, read-2011, book-reviews, male-protag, psychological-thriller, read-own-hardcopy

Courtesy of Smash Attack Reads

"I was thinking. What if the world was like one of those Russian nesting dolls? What if we only saw one surface of it, the outside, but there was all kinds of other stuff going on, too? All the time. Underneath. But we just don't see it, even if we're part of it? Even if we're in it? And what if you had a chance to see a different layer, like flipping a channel or something? Would you want to look? Even if what you saw looked like hell? Or worse?"

MY THOUGHTS

Cursing...more

3 likes · like · see review

Aug 03, 2011 John Egbert rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Cats would get enjoyment of this.

Shelves: could-have-been-so-much-better, creepers-gonna-creep, why-did-i-read-this, wtf-dude

Short version: This, this, and also, this.

Long version:

Okay, contrary to popular belief, this book isn't very graphic. Personally, I've been scarred worse that time I accidentally came across some Richie Foley/Virgil Hawkins fanart. Or that time I decided I wanted to know what a manikini was...(FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON'T GOOGLE THAT!)

Moving on, yeah, I thought that it was going to be terrible and horrible. I expected to run screaming away in pure horror. In reality, The Marbury Lens is, in all ac...more

10 likes · like · see review

Sep 29, 2011 Megan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, favorites, not-mine-library, young-adult

I finished The Marbury Lens so very long ago, and now I am afraid that a review written weeks after having initially read the book simply won't do it justice. Let's see...

Admittedly, I was turned off from The Marbury Lens simply because the premise sounds so implausible. Jack, a California teenager spends a few weeks of his summer vacation in London with his best friend. The first few days Jack is on his own and is pursued by a stranger who gives him a pair of magical purple glasses. When Jack p...more I finished The Marbury Lens so very long ago, and now I am afraid that a review written weeks after having initially read the book simply won't do it justice. Let's see...

Admittedly, I was turned off from The Marbury Lens simply because the premise sounds so implausible. Jack, a California teenager spends a few weeks of his summer vacation in London with his best friend. The first few days Jack is on his own and is pursued by a stranger who gives him a pair of magical purple glasses. When Jack puts them on, he is transported to a (mythical? parallel? made up?) post-apocalyptic world called Marbury. In Marbury, Jack has a very different existence, personality and friends... or does he?

One of my all time favorite subjects to be approached in novels is the fine line between mental health and magical realism, fantasy, what-have-you. I believe The Marbury Lens does just that so very, very well. This story isn't just about Marbury or the mystery behind it. Rather, it is about Jack being a hot mess. (And how refreshing is it to encounter a male protag dealing with issues. No whining angst-ridden chicks in this story!)

But back to Jack... this kid has some problems. Personal problems. Family problems. Sexual problems. And these are in addition to the obvious big ball of issues brought on by Jack's abduction and near rape. (So not a spoiler, happens early on in the novel) So, we see a kid who is dealing with some serious issues, in addition to the growing pains all kids deal with their teenage years, and suddenly he is also dealing with Marbury. Is it real? A figment of his imagination? I love the ambiguity in this novel. And I love that Andrew Smith managed to present a fantasy world that seems to be remarkably in depth and well thought out, even though very little of it is actually explained.

Can I say that I didn't find this novel to be nearly as gross or disturbing as some people have mentioned. Nor was I appalled by the "homophobia" displayed. Connor's (Jack's best friend) frequent teasing of Jack by calling him, "so gay!" didn't strike me as, well... wrong. Politically incorrect? Of course. As a girl who was raised with brothers in the heart of the midwest... a lot of guys talk like that around each other. At least my brothers & friends' brothers did when they were growing up. As much as I love the suave and mysterious boy portrayed in so many YA novels, this is one of the few novels I've read in which the boys seem like real life teenage boys... rather than an idealized version.

At any rate, I can't say enough how much I loved this novel and the questions, ideas, and issues raised in it. It is difficult to say too much without spoiling it, but I do hope that more of my GR friends pick this one up so I can read their reactions :) And I sincerely hope that Andrew Smith writes more novels with a fantasy twist to them.

(less)

10 likes · like · see review

Nov 04, 2012 Jason rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2011, e-books, read-2012

4.5 Stars

This was my second read through this book as I wanted to refresh my memory as I went on to the now released book two, Passenger by Andrew Smith. My first time I read through this book I enjoyed it, but I found, that after a time, it sat well with me and I wanted to read it again. This is a mature young adult fantasy that is not for the faint of heart as it does contain a great deal of swearing, sex, and graphic situations.

The story has a great beginning and the main plot behind the stor...more

4 likes · like · see review

May 02, 2010 Brian James rated it 5 of 5 stars

As teen literature continues to be a huge and growing field of publishing, the more mainstream its novels become. When I published my first novel Pure Sunshine, the genre was basically a dead genre. The books that started the new boom were adventurous, daring, and edgy wasn't just a marketing term. There was a sense to push the boundaries of what was considered acceptable in YA fiction. However, once the genre became an established outlet for bestsellers, there was a reverse pull back to more tr...more

9 likes · like · see review

Apr 25, 2012 Crowinator rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, real-world-fantasy, unreliable-narrators, other-monsters, memorably-scary-or-disturbing, antiheroes, 2012-reads, everything-is-turning-out-so-dark, cliffhangers-ho

Actual rating: 3.5 stars. Gut reactions upon finishing: Stars added for killer pacing and writing, an absorbing multi-layered puzzle of worlds within worlds, nightmarish world-building, and an authentic friendship between two regular guys who talk like regular guys. Stars subtracted for possibly the least believe girl character ever (yes, Nickie, I mean you -- you just weren't developed enough as your own person), repetitiveness, and frustrating lack of closure. I usually like ambiguity to an en...more

5 likes · like · see review

Jul 29, 2011 Seth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 5-star-books, read-on-nook-epub

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 05, 2011 Dana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror-scary, sciencefiction-fantasy, ya

Wow. Two Stars? Five Stars? I don't know.

The Marbury Lens reminds me a lot of Stephen King's Dark Tower series.

The Gunslinger

Let me explain: I love Stephen King (The Shining, The Stand, Needful Things, It), yet I didn't really love the Dark Tower Series. The series was just a little too...dark? ...morally ambiguous? ...disturbing? ...meandering?

With that being said...I read all seven books in the series.

Yep. All 7. (Felt like 8.)

I got sucked into Jack's Marbury like I got sucked into Roland's...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 20, 2013 Evie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-tbr-pile, fantasy, favorites, freaking-awesome, loved-it, mind-blowing, pure-awesomeness, review-copy, miya-event

Sweepingly imaginative, boldly visionary and entirely compelling, The Marbury Lens is a book like no other out there. I've been sitting here, trying to figure out what other work of fiction I could compare it to, hoping to give you an idea of what you should be prepared for. But trying to draw parallels proved to be an exercise in futility. There's not a single book (or movie) out there that would be similar in concept. Or as impressive in execution. The Marbury Lens is a wholly original, untame...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 10, 2013 Matt rated it 3 of 5 stars

Jack's life is falling apart.

After being kidnapped by a rapist and barely escaping, Jack and his best friend Connor fly out to England for the summer, hoping to get away from everything that happened - including what Connor and Jack did to his attacker. When Jack arrives in England, he's given a pair of glasses that allow him to see into a world that sits on the cusp of ours - Marbury.

But Marbury is a world in chaos. And as Jack becomes more involved with the war taking place there and the kids...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 02, 2011 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, dark, fantasy, not-graphic, voice, ya, horror

I felt so sick.

This is when it started falling apart.

I know that now.

Jack shares this on page 53, still quite early in his book, but well after he's been kidnapped, tortured, and nearly raped, has escaped and, with the help of his best friend, accidentally killed his attacker while trying to take revenge. Things start bad, but they get much, much worse. Because Jack can't escape the shame and trauma of his experience, even after flying all the way to England and falling in love with a beautiful...more

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 26, 2011 Kat rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, science-fiction

Didn't finish it, which is rare for me, 'cause I love sci-fi and alternate worlds and that stuff. Why: the characters' constant use of the word 'gay' as an insult, homophobic themes, the sheer pathetic-ness of the main character and his referring to himself in third person (really annoying!)... I really wanted to like this one, but I just didn't. That said, the writing's fine and it's doubtless a well-constructed story... I just have too many books to review to finish one I'm not really loving.

1 like · like · see review

Mar 24, 2013 Catherine Gordon rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book isn't exactly one that you like. The story is grim, the alternate universe is horrific but no more than our own reality. The attempted rape of a teenage boy signals a downward spiral for Jack whose life takes an unexpected turn when a mysterious stranger gives him a pair of glasses that takes him into another world. The relenting anguish in both worlds, as Jack struggles to come to terms with what happened and first love as well as his conflicting emotions around his best friend make f...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Sneering Imperialist rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1-star, disappointments, georgeous-cover, marysue-or-garystu, young-adult, could-not-finish-or-gave-up-on, pissed-me-off, pretty-cover-ugly-inside, cliff-hanger-ending, what-does-he-see-in-her, great-villains, irritating-side-characters, terrible-love-interests, depressing, fantasy-and-sci-fi, obnoxious-main-character, out-of-print, romance, should-have-listened-to-the-reviews

I don’t remember how, exactly, I came across the Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith. I want to say I had heard about it previously and decided to dive in, but that is not the case. Really, I think it just kind of appeared on my "Recommended Based On Your Browsing History" list on Amazon, thus it came into my life.
I mean... how could I turn that away? A gorgeous cover, an intriguing premise and an author I had never heard of before and thus walked in with a completely unbiased opinion of? It was almost...more I don’t remember how, exactly, I came across the Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith. I want to say I had heard about it previously and decided to dive in, but that is not the case. Really, I think it just kind of appeared on my "Recommended Based On Your Browsing History" list on Amazon, thus it came into my life.
I mean... how could I turn that away? A gorgeous cover, an intriguing premise and an author I had never heard of before and thus walked in with a completely unbiased opinion of? It was almost as though the stars were aligned for the Marbury Lens and me; we were fated to meet! Well sure it started off pretty decently, but like so many YAs before it; the second the supposed "love interest" was introduced everything went to @#$% fast.

First of all, the Marbury Lens isn't THE worst book I've ever read... but unfortunately, it’s up there. If the entire book was based around the first five chapters, I would have enjoyed it a hell of a lot more.
So, our story centers around Jack. His parents died or disappeared or abandoned him (I can’t remember which it is,) and as such he is in the care of his grandparents. On one night he goes to a party his best friend, Connor, is hosting, but Jack gets drunk and winds up being kidnapped. (I don’t consider this a spoiler, because it happens within the first chapter and it written on the back of the book.)
Like I said before, the opening chapters were the best in the entire novel. I’ll admit I was fascinated with the concept of Jack being kidnapped and the almost-rape attempt that follows. Often I think our culture tends to avoid the subject of men being raped, and I give kudos for Smith to make light of it. Especially for this being a YA novel. Smith handles the scenes where Jack is being held in captivity very delicately, as I think they should be. The doctor/attempted rapist, Freddie, is also a prrrrrreeeetty creepy villain and definitely one of the better nut-jobs I've seen in a YA novel. The whole almost-rape itself is built up at a fast enough pace to keep the reader's interest, but it's also slow enough not to make you feel as though you've missed something. I'd say that if the whole book was built on this, it would be a hell of a lot more interesting.
And that’s where the good ends and the bad begins.
Among other things, the one that bothered me the absolute most about the Marbury Lens is the simple fact that Jack might be homosexual deep down. Let me be very clear: THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH HOMSEXUALITY. I support a person’s decision to love who they please, and if they want to love someone of the same sex, let them. Everyone deserves to be happy. Now that that’s out of the way, as I was saying; Jack’s thoughts for his best friend Conner carry quite a bit of homosexual overtones. I think he even flat-out admits he loves him more than anyone else in the world, but then all of a sudden Smith throws in Nickie the "love interest" just so Jack can lose his virginity and prove he's not gay. I mean, Jack knows Nickie for literally, like, two pages and then they decide they're in love. I could not for the life of me figure out what Jack thought was even remotely attractive about Nickie other than she's a girl who I suppose says a sentence to him and laughs at something he says. ~~And of course wants to get into his pants.~~ Not only that, but Jack doesn't even meet Nickie in the book--or on-screen--at least! He supposedly met her while he was hyped up on Marbury--(time passes in the real world when you're in the Marbury, I suppose)--yet this is never seen and instead we the audience are just supposed to accept that Jack and Nickie are in l-o-v-e. I find this to be the ultimate form of laziness and I was this close to throwing Marbury in the trash. But alas, Babylon, I forced myself to trudge hopelessly onward.
Another pet peeve of mine involving this book was the Marbury itself. It's supposed to be some weirdo-reality that's not an addictive but actually real, but I felt that this just didn't work. It felt forced, and I kept getting the feeling Andrew Smith was more focused on trying to add fantasy/sci-fi elements to his book to sell more rather than come up with a good story. Not every YA book has to have an element of paranormal in it to be good. In fact, the whole book could have just been Jack dealing with his trauma of being kidnapped/almost raped and I would have been perfectly fine with that! Heck, I would have liked that version more than the one I read--(so long as Nickie is never introduced)--that is.
My final complaint is the side-plots. I thought they were just dumb, plain and simple. We have something about a ghost boy going on, although it really has no purpose and doesn't contribute to the story as a whole. Supposedly this ghost boy helped Jack escape from being held against his will, but it is never explained how the ghost helps Jack other than, well... he was kind of there, I guess. Like I said, it's never explained, and again I think Smith was trying to combine all these fantasy elements into Marbury for the sake of selling rather than telling. He could have so easily written a masterpiece with this book and turned himself into a shining example of what YA literature can be, but instead he falls into the same mediocrity like so many authors before him.

*NOTE: As of the time of this publication, I have since learned the Marbury Lens has gotten a sequel called Passenger. As harsh towards this book as I have been, I will definitely read Passenger to see how everything ties together. This book did leave off on a piss-poor cliffhanger, after all...(less)

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Halvéen I came across your In The Path Of Falling Objects-review so I just had to say something to The Marbury Lens x3

First thing: Yes, the beginning is the b...more
updated May 08, 2013 09:56am

Sneering Imperialist @ Halvéen

Right? I think Jack and Connor would be great together if Andrew Smith just freaking made it happen. Jack has so much more chemistry with Con...more
May 09, 2013 06:29pm

Halvéen Now I hope I didn't raise your hopes up too high xD But I really enjoyed Passenger and and the end was great :3
King of Marbury can be read for free on...more
May 10, 2013 02:28am

Mar 10, 2013 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Egads is there a lot in this book! Alternate universes is enough but then you toss in the start: Jack’s kidnapping and escape! That would have been a story in and of itself!

I pondered if the alternate universe/glasses world is Jack escaping mentally from his kidnapper (i.e.: he only escaped physically in his mind and then created this alternate as a survival tool). But if it is an escape tool, it is detailed and intricate.

The only part of the book that gave me pause was all the vomiting: every t...more

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Dec 21, 2012 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook, supernatural, senior-high

Jack is kidnapped on his way home from a party, and held captive in a sadists basement before he is eventually able to escape. The only person he tells is his friend Connor. As Jack and Connor travel to England to check out a possible boarding school, Jack is haunted by his experience. He meets a strange man at a bar who seems to know him and leaves him red glasses. When Jack looks through the glasses he is transported to another world, Marbury, where his life consists of survival and escape fro...more

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Jun 15, 2012 Veronica Sicoe rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite-novels

Andrew Smith absolutely delivers on his initial promise of building a haunting, multi-layered story, which he foreshadows in the beginning by comparing the story to a Russian Matryoshka doll.

The Marbury Lens encapsulates several kinds of trauma into the fragile mind of John Wynn Whitmore (known throughout the story as Jack). It takes you deeper and deeper into the world of a teenager who struggles to regain a sense of self, and repair the growing crack in his reality after he was kidnapped and a...more Andrew Smith absolutely delivers on his initial promise of building a haunting, multi-layered story, which he foreshadows in the beginning by comparing the story to a Russian Matryoshka doll.

The Marbury Lens encapsulates several kinds of trauma into the fragile mind of John Wynn Whitmore (known throughout the story as Jack). It takes you deeper and deeper into the world of a teenager who struggles to regain a sense of self, and repair the growing crack in his reality after he was kidnapped and almost raped. With every layer that peels away as you slide deeper into the story, you discover more about what it means to be a victim or a fighter, and what it takes to transition from the first to the latter.

I am truly astonished by the depth of the psychological analysis hidden within this gripping, fast-paced story, and will do my best to bring this to the attention of potential readers. I will not recount the plot, as it absolutely suffices to read the product description and know that the subsequent development of events doesn't fail to deliver upon that premise.

I have read other reviewers who commented on Jack's addiction to the Marbury Lens and the brutal, apocalyptic world it takes him to, as being either an unappropriate and troubling topic for a YA book, or an "illustration of the dangers of drugs & alcohol", which is in fact completely missing the point. The core problem of this novel isn't by far the episodic violence Jack faces in Marbury, or his clumsy and childish attempts to justify and treat the trauma he suffered at the hands of his kidnapper and molestor by substance abuse. Those are nothing but symptoms, shells upon another "doll" hidden inside.

The core problem, and the backbone of this story, is Jack's struggle to escape the role of victim he was forced into, and defeat the side of him that is convinced on top of it all that he deserves it. This book is about Jack's desperate fight to break out of the paralyzing and addictive state of mind that accompanies victimhood, and to become a strong, self-reliant person. The fantastic element of the Marbury Lens being a portal into a parallel existence, where the world's malice and brutality is laid bare instead of hidden as it is in ours, and where Jack is a warrior and protector instead of a frightened boy, is one of the most masterfully crafted and well delivered fictional devices I have come across in YA fiction. To say that this is too much for a young mind to handle is a gross undervaluation of today's youth's ability to process complexity, and in my opinion contributes to the mentality that prevents young minds from being exposed to challenging topics and being left with video games and music clips instead.

However, even if you do not consider allowing your kid to read this, at least give it a try yourself. There isn't so much as a single wasted page in this story, and if not for the exploration of adolescent fears and the trauma of losing one's grip on reality, at least read it for the engaging action and the dark, thrilling and ultimately addictive atmosphere it creates.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jun 05, 2012 M Hunt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya

After a kidnapping and assault, Jack finds himself splitting time between two worlds. In the "real" one, he is a shaken victim, uncertain of his own perception of reality and unable to tell who poses a threat to him. A pair of glasses transports him to a place called Marbury, where the threats are clear. There, he is a more confident version of himself leading two younger boys through a world of gruesome violence.

Marbury's cannibalistic hunters, one of whom happens to be his best friend Connor'...more

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Nov 04, 2011 Corbin rated it 3 of 5 stars

As one of my first Young Adult Novels I can say I wasn't too put off by this. Though the author relies heavily on sexual behavior, constant schizophrenic-esque babble and using the F word a bit too much to make me feel in any way connected to these characters. The 'grotesque' scenery was shocking at first but got mundane and over used. The whole time I was reading this I couldn't stop myself from saying "STOP MAKING SO MANY ALLEGORICAL REFERENCES TO DRUGS" the whole idea of the "Marbury lens" ma...more

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Jul 18, 2011 Barrie Evans rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this young adult novel. It's not the norm for an author to come up with a totally new landscape or metaphor to use as a lens with which to see a character.

I'd give the book five stars except the number of times Smith used the f-word made me uncomfortable. I know he was being realistic. I just think you can use anything too much.

The book caught my interest after Andrew Smith was interviewed by Kerri Miller on MPR's "Mid-Morning" show. He had been criticized in a critique of chil...more I really enjoyed this young adult novel. It's not the norm for an author to come up with a totally new landscape or metaphor to use as a lens with which to see a character.

I'd give the book five stars except the number of times Smith used the f-word made me uncomfortable. I know he was being realistic. I just think you can use anything too much.

The book caught my interest after Andrew Smith was interviewed by Kerri Miller on MPR's "Mid-Morning" show. He had been criticized in a critique of children's and young adult novels as being too violent as a general rule. The violence referred to comes from a pivotal incident in the book. The main character, Jack, is kidnapped, threatened with violence and an attempted rape is described in cold detail. I didn't think this incident was gratuitous or sensationalized.

On the "Mid-Morning" program, Smith revealed that he himself had been kidnapped and been the survivor of an attempted rape. Smith stated that he didn't tell anyone of the incident for years--much as Jack in the novel doesn't tell anyone about the incident until Smith is far into the plot.

The Marbury lens metaphor seems a bizarre device upon first hearing about it. Jack is given a pair of unusual looking glasses with dark lenses by a stranger who claims to know him. The Marbury "reality" or "dimension" which Jack experiences as a first-person viewer/participant is a nightmare world in which he is a leader of a small group of fugitives. They are on the run through a landscape which is described as being horizonless, having a dead gray sky and an almost featureless landscape of desert and mountains.

The characters and feeling of mission that color Jack's alternate existence in Marbury quickly feel like the more important reality that Jack is experiencing as the trauma he suffered gives him the feel of a person with PTSD. Jack has become detached from his everyday reality, his emotions, and even from his best friend.

This was a complex book in terms of showing how difficult it is to be a human being when you have gone through trauma and feel as though you are freefalling through your day-to-day experience. Going to Marbury to battle evil and win or lose in that struggle seems an easier reality than the one described by first loves, friendships and summer vacations.

A very satisfying read and a reminder that adolescence is a challenge we shouldn't dismiss with an adults common dismissive comment, "I survived it."

The times when transition (less)

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Jun 20, 2011 Carolyn LaMontagne rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was gripping and interesting. A bit more graphic and violent than I tend to like, but I was okay with that. My main issue is that I felt it left me with too many unanswered questions. But, to its credit, it didn't go in the predictable direction I was SURE it was going in, so that was a nice surprise.

(next day) After sleeping on it, I have more thoughts on this book. SPOILER ALERT.

This is really a book about trauma (sexual trauma specifically), and I think the direction I thought it was goi...more

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May 29, 2011 Mrs. Nelson's rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Marbury Lens will keep you up all night. Each time your eyelids start to sink, you'll come across "roll....tap,tap,tap", and with a racing heart you'll drop into the world of Marbury. No matter how many times you return to the present, the need for that adrenaline surge will have you reading more and more. This incredibly tense and troublesome read starts with an very bad night of drunkenness for 16-year old Jack, and sends him on a journey of true insanity. This is the book you'll be talkin...more

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May 28, 2011 Rachael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jack’s life is screwed up. Maybe it’s because he got drunk, was kidnapped, and barely escaped with his life. Maybe it’s because the only person her could tell was his best friend Conner. Or maybe it’s because when he and Conner arrive in London for the summer, a stranger gives Jack a pair of purple-tinted glasses, through which Jack can see another world called Marbury. And it’s a terrifying place, since there’s a war going on between these savage, animalistic beings and Jack’s friends, who may...more Jack’s life is screwed up. Maybe it’s because he got drunk, was kidnapped, and barely escaped with his life. Maybe it’s because the only person her could tell was his best friend Conner. Or maybe it’s because when he and Conner arrive in London for the summer, a stranger gives Jack a pair of purple-tinted glasses, through which Jack can see another world called Marbury. And it’s a terrifying place, since there’s a war going on between these savage, animalistic beings and Jack’s friends, who may be the only sane people left as far as they know. Everything is wrong in Marbury, but everything is wrong in the real world too. Maybe Jack might be falling in love with the right girl and maybe he’s somewhat decent at taking care of his friends in Marbury, but he’s afraid he’s losing his mind. And he’s not sure if it will ever be okay.

The Marbury Lens is an utterly fascinating read. I was so enthralled by the story that I found it exceedingly difficult to put it down, even though I couldn’t really get what was going on half of the time. This was partly because there was just so much going on at once. Additionally, though, many of the details and events seem like they have some sort of extra meaning, but it is just impossible to pinpoint. I’ll admit that that this frustrated me at times, because though the entire story was so intriguing, sometimes I found myself wondering what the point was. I had to step away from the big picture to truly appreciate the cleverness behind this book. Smith has some pretty great ideas, and I loved how he wove together the real world with that of Marbury in layers. Smith combines elements of psychological thrillers and fantasy to switch back and forth between the worlds along with Jack. The outcome is an incredibly fast paced that will both confuse you and kind of blow your mind, even when you can’t figure out the purpose of it all.

The Marbury Lens will be enjoyed by fans of Darkside by Tom Becker and Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com (less)

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Apr 06, 2011 Sab rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: surreal, ya-fantasy, ya-dystopia

This isn't YA dystopia in the way, say, The Hunger Games is, but it fits in the category because, while present day London (where the book is set) isn't much different from today, the alternate world of Marbury is quite definitely experiencing its own apocalyptic horrors.

The Marbury Lens is a strange book that tries to do a lot of things and only gets a few of them right. The world of Marbury itself is fascinating, as is the fact that everyone there has a twin here, but if your Marbury twin is d...more

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Feb 26, 2011 Eva Mitnick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, ya

This is one grim, gripping story. Jack is a normal teen, awkward, occasionally crude, but mostly a good person - and the stuff that happens to him is just way out of whack. The only thing that makes this book bearable to read (besides being well-written and addictively suspenseful, that is) is Jack's budding relationship with Nickie. She is too good to be true and never quite comes fully to life, but she provides some much needed relief to Jack and to the reader. And the relationship between Jac...more

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About Andrew Smith

Andrew Smith is the author of GHOST MEDICINE, a 2009 ALA/YALSA "Best Books for Young Adults," and IN THE PATH OF FALLING OBJECTS, a 2010 ALA/YALSA "Best Books for Young Adults."

In November, 2010, Andrew Smith's THE MARBURY LENS will be released by Feiwel and Friends, an imprint of Macmillan.

I won't rate books by other authors here on Goodreads. I think there are obvious reasons why an author might...more

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Quotes from The Marbury Lens

“I was thinking. What if the world was like one of those Russian nesting dolls? What if we only saw one surface of it, the outside, but there was all kinds of other stuff going on, too? All the time. Underneath. But we just don't see it, even if we're part of it? Even if we're in it? And what if you had a chance to see a different layer, like flipping a channel or something? Would you want to look? Even if what you saw looked like hell? Or worse?” — 8 people liked it

“Henry believed that Marbury was a world out of balance. He needs to take a closer look at this one.” — 5 people liked it

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