Schasm

Shari J.
Ryan
Genre: 
Young Adult

Chloe Valcourt is a very special young lady, trapped by her mother who deems that she is only protecting her invalid daughter. Chloe knows she is not mentally ill, but cannot make anyone believe her, until she meets Alex in her drift and he brings her into the light of their unique reality. Yet, what is the reality and what is the drift? Are they both insane and committed to an asylum, or are they truly able to drift into the schism of time and happiness? 

Initially the book stumbles in point of view, but quickly the story drags the reader into an adventure of young love. Chloe and Alex were friends until the age of seven when they were torn apart. Twelve years later, Chloe starts having different episodes”, as her doctors and mother calls them. Suddenly she is able to interact with the people in them. Ryan creates a complex diorama of dream and reality, twisting into darkness and lightness of reality. This plot twist is amazingly beautiful as it takes the reader on a ride through insanity and the darker sides of being institutionalized, yet does not bury the story in sadness. There is a lovely sense of beauty and hope intertwined within everything. The characters play their roles well and ride the narrative adeptly into the heart of a cliffhanger ending that will leave the reader waiting to jump to the next book, "Fissure Free".

Penelope Anne Bartotto