false 615359 0763632074 9780763632076 334 115 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1176343532m/615359.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/615359.Shark_Girl 333002 Kelly Bingham 334 115 3 0 false Fri Jun 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 03 17:55:40 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 03 17:59:23 -0700 2009
It took me awhile to really get into this novel, partly because of the format – it’s mostly in verse (with some additional content – letters, etc.). Novels written in verse strike me as somewhat pretentious and irritating and trendy – not everyone uses it well. Kelly Bingham, however, does a great job with Jane in Shark Girl. Jane deals with her experience and her feelings in a really honest way. The verse format works really well for expressing her thoughts, which are raw, immediate, short, to the point. She isn’t perfect, she isn’t intentionally inspiring. But she’s strong, tentatively hopeful, furious, determined, gentle, and so many other things. I really like Jane. She’s figuring out a new way to be herself after this life-threatening, life-changing experience.
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