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Buy Irises by Francisco X. Stork
Special: $14.02(Regular price: $17.99)
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Format: Hardcover
Reviewer: Melissa on January 24, 2012
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Readers of contemporary YA will be familiar with the writing of Francisco X. Stork. His novel, Marcelo In The Real World, made a splash in the YA scene back in 2009, and his 2011 novel, Irises, will delight his longtime readers and will garner new fans of philosophically-infused novels about love, God, and questions about the nature of harm and ambition. If you want a book that will make you think, then this is the one for you.
In Irises, Stork paints a thought-provoking portrait of two sisters and the choices and opportunities that cross their paths after the sudden death of their father. Perhaps the word “opportunities” seems a little callous or as the girls aren’t affected by the death of their parent, but neither of these things are true. Rather, it’s that during their father’s life, both girls had to put many of their own desires and needs aside because he was so strict. Eighteen-year-old Kate has always wanted to be a doctor and promised her mother four years ago that she’d do everything in her power to get into Stanford. Sixteen-year-old Mary is a gifted painter, who used to see the life force in all living things until an accident left their mother in a persistent vegetative state two years ago. While their father insisted that they keep their mother “alive” via a feeding tube, his death gives them the chance to reconsider what course of action is best for themselves and their mother, even if it’s hard.
Three guys complicate their situation: Simon, Kate’s boyfriend, offers to marry her to help take care of her, her sister, and her mother. Markus, a guy with a violent past, intrigues Mary in an unlikely way. Reverand Andy Soto offers Kate the chance to see a “truth” that would also benefit both of the girls’ ambitions. Finding out whose advice, love, and offers of help that they should accept is only part of the novel’s intrigue. Even more important are the philosophical questions that each of the guys and their deceased father opens up for their lives, which influences the girls’ lives.
If you loved Marcelo In The Real World, then you may find this novel is somewhat slower at first and may take a little longer to get into. In Stork’s previous novel, Marcelo’s voice was so unique and quirky that I found myself instantly pulled into the Marcelo’s universe, even though the questions of religion – which aren’t something I look for in a novel – formed a significant part of this life. While Kate and Mary have distinctive voices in their alternating narratives, they weren’t as immediately charming as Marcelo is. Without the charm right up front, I found the religious angle was a little too much for my taste, at first. However, once I got into the narrative and the questions the girls most solve for themselves, I couldn’t put it down.
Irises is definitely a book for the contemporary YA reader on your shopping list.
Buy Irises today and benefit from free shipping and save 22% off the regular price!
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.
