Buy Clarity
Special: $11.49 (Regular price: $16.99)
Publisher: Point
Format: Hardcover
Reviewer: Melissa on March 22, 2011
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
In Kim Harrington‘s debut YA novel, Clarity, sometimes people can see things that others can’t. Clarity ‘Clare’ Fern is one such individual. She can see long-buried secrets or stolen kisses just by touching a related object. It’s both a gift and a curse. When an 18-year-old girl is murdered, Clare’s ex — Justin — wants her to use her paranormal abilities to help solve the case, and even though she’s more than a little ambivalent about the idea, she gives in. Teaming up with the new detective’s hot son, Gabriel, Clare must look between the clues to find the murderer’s motivations or revenge, fear, and lust, while making sure that her brother isn’t fingered for the killer. Will her ability to see fail her at the very moment she needs it most?
When I first saw the exquisite cover for Clarity, I, like a lot of people in the book blog community, was all a-twitter with excitement. Both the pointed stare of the model and the refractured light that is meant to point to the psychic ability of the character definitely caught my eye. Thus, when a copy was left in my mailbox for review, you can’t imagine how ecstatic I was. While the book certainly held my interest (and will probably hold yours too), it didn’t quite live up to my expectations of it. Of course, there were a lot of good points, and a quick look at the GoodReads’ rating will demonstrate that there is definitely a lot of love going around for this debut; it just wasn’t my favorite book this year so far.
What did I like about Harrington’s novel? Well, for starters, although I’ve never really been a big reader of murder mysteries, I certainly got into the plot with this one. It wasn’t just that the crime and how solving it played out in an interesting (albeit unorthodox) way, although that is certainly the case. For me, one of the big appeals was the number of plot twists along the way, which made guessing the conclusion impossible. I have to admit that this is a substantial feat because the opening chapter highlights a key scene between Clare and the killer. This type of narrative structure shows that while readers might know ‘what’ to expect, they will know neither ‘who’ is responsible, nor ‘when’ the action will go down other than that it will be in nine days from the beginning of the second chapter. For being able to keep a reader in suspense, Harrington deserves a lot of credit.
Unfortunately, one of the most important aspects for me in a new novel is the ability to connect with the main character, and I had some difficulty in this regard. While I sympathized with Clarity’s position as the subject of major bullying for being different, I didn’t always like how she went about dealing with these problems. I guess pouring her Coke over the head of her was called for, but using names like “psychotic skankbag” to describe someone isn’t really called for in my opinion (no matter how angry you are). Does it make her strong…maybe. It certainly shows she isn’t a whiny victim, but still I wish she wouldn’t sink to that level. Moments like these that made Clarity’s voice not sit well with me at times. Of course, that’s not to say that I found Clarity’s words and actions unbelievable — it’s not that at all. Some teen girls will certainly recognize themselves in her — despite her psychic abilities — but is that the type of thing that we want them to recognize? I’ll leave that to readers to decide for themselves.
Despite this issue, Clarity impressed me with the amount of build up and suspense it generated. For those who enjoy shows like “Medium” and “Ghost Whisperer”, the mix of psychic abilities and crime solving in this novel will certainly delight you.
Buy Clarity today!
Melissa has always been a voracious reader of fiction and has an M.A. in English Literature to prove it. Like many other adults, she got caught up in the young adult crossover fiction phenomenon. Now, one of her great joys comes from sharing her love of YA lit on this popular review site. Come with expectations of intellect, magic, and honest reviews, and you won’t be disappointed.
