Review: BROKEN by Elizabeth Pulford and Angus Gomes

BROKEN is a fantastic new novel from Elizabeth Pulford and Angus Gomes that fully takes advantage of the “multimedia” concept.  Told partially in prose and partially in graphic novel segments, and accompanied by fictionalized news articles, the story follows Zara’s quest to find her brother Jem.

Running Press Kids, August 2013.

Here’s the thing: Zara is in a coma.  And while she’s drawn herself into Jem’s favorite comic book, she is constantly pulled back into her hospital room, where she can hear the conversations of her loved ones around her.  Her best friend brings her gossip from school, and while Zara wishes she could be there with her, she knows that she won’t be able to do anything until she finds Jem.  But even if she is able to confront the villain Morven, she also needs to confront the painful truth that her comic book world is helping her to avoid.

A fast-paced and beautifully written novel, BROKEN is a must-read for lovers of graphic novels, and for readers who are looking for a book that works outside of the box.  Both realistic fiction fans and fans of the fantastical will take a shining to this heart-wrenching story that finds a fantasy world in the protagonist’s attempts to cope. This book isn’t like anything you’ve seen before, and I bet you’ll like it.