Review & Giveaway: Girl Parts by John M. Cusick

Girl Parts by John M. Cusick 240 pages, Candlewick, (2010-08-10) $16.99 (Amazon.com)

Procurement

Grabbed this author signed copy at BEA 2010.

My Grade

Plot: 4

Setting: 4

Writing: 4

Originality: 5

Characters: 4

Romance: 3

Overall: 24/30 = 80% B

Cover/Title Bonus: 5

Overall

A great look at teenaged interaction between boy and girl and technology.

Summary (Goodreads)

"Hello, David. My name is Rose. It’s a pleasure to meet you. We are now entering minute two of our friendship. According to my Intimacy Clock, a handshake is now appropriate…"
David and Charlie are opposites. David has a million friends, online and off. Charlie is a soulful outsider, off the grid completely. But neither feels close to anybody. When David’s parents present him with a hot Companion bot to encourage healthy bonds and treat "dissociative disorder," he can’t get enough of luscious red-headed Rose — and he can’t get it soon. Companions come with strict intimacy protocols, and whenever he tries anything, David gets an electric shock. Severed from the boy she was built to love, Rose turns to Charlie, who finds he can open up, knowing Rose isn’t real. With Charlie’s help, the ideal "companion" is about to become her own best friend.
In a stunning and hilarious debut, John Cusick takes rollicking aim at internet culture and our craving for meaningful connection in an uber-connected world.

Trailer

First Line

The room was empty and black save for the blue eye of the computer and the yellow wedge beneath the door.

Most Memorable Scene

When Rose wakes up from her surgery. ;)

Plot

The whole thing about disassociation and boys wanting to have meaningful relationships with girls is a weird concept but it made perfect sense in this book.

The companion, Rose, is supposed to help boys work at producing a relationship that is genuine and pure.

While I found the overall purpose of the companion to be interesting I would love to see what a teenaged boy thought of the idea.

Setting

A pretty normal town setting. Lots of the story took place at school, in David’s home and Charlie’s home, and the woods surrounding the lake they both lived near. Nothing extraordinary.

Writing

I enjoyed reading this book. The writing seemed effortless and compelled me to keep reading. The concept is just a brilliant topic.

Originality

I haven’t ever read anything like this. A robot girlfriend for teenaged boys. Programmed to teach them how to converse and interact with a girl. The ending proved to be a great attempt at portraying a moral code for boys and girls alike to follow when it comes to the opposite sex.

Characters

David was an ass. Charlie was the sweetest guy ever. Rose was a companion with great Artificial Intelligence.

Romance

The relationship between Rose and David was awkward for me. I knew what David’s goal was and I knew it was going to have a negative outcome for both him and Rose.

Rose and Charlie connected immediately, even under the circumstance of their introduction. They both deserve to be completely happy.

Cover/Title Bonus

The cover is perfect! The title, however, while fitting doesn’t make too much sense until the end of the book and while it makes sense it’s really kind of a low blow after you read the book and look at the title again. At least it is to me, a girl, but I wonder if it would be different for a boy reading this.

 

Have you read this? Link me to your review so I can see what you thought! I’d love to see a boys reaction to this book.

 

Giveaway

If you’d like to win my gently used, SIGNED ARC of Girl Parts by John M. Cusick please head over to The Cozy Reader to see how!

Important Information

• Ends September 30th, noon EST.
• Entrant must be 13 years of age or older.
• Open to US mailing addresses only.
• Winner will have 3 days to respond to my email with shipping information.