Fracture

by MS Megan Miranda

After falling through the ice of a frozen lake and being resuscitated by her best friend Decker, seventeen-year-old Delaney begins experiencing a strange affinity for the dead and wonders whether she is predicting death or causing it.

• ISBN10: 0802723098
• ISBN13: 9780802723093
• Publish Date: 17 January 2012
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 2 August 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Walker & Co
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 264
• Language: English

Reviews

[jnikkir]

4.5 stars

I devoured this book in a single day... and now I wish that I had made it last longer. The sequel's release date of Winter 2014 is just--I can't even fathom that much waiting at this point.

Anyway, on to my actual thoughts about the book... which I loved.

One of the best things about this story is that all of its elements -- paranormal, some romance, and a little bit of medical thriller -- blend together seamlessly. The paranormal stuff isn't overdone, the medical issues are extremely thought-provoking, and (disregarding the love-triangle which I have a bit of a problem with) the relationship and budding romance between the two main characters is really refreshing and extremely sweet.

Delaney and Decker are fantastic: completely realistic and never stilted, which is one of my main issues with a lot of YA stuff lately. Megan Miranda's teens act like teens -- and as another reviewer noticed, too, the parents actually act like parents. Shocker!

I was also pleasantly surprised by Miranda's writing style -- smooth, perfectly paced for the amount of story there was to tell, and actually really beautiful in parts. I don't usually expect that from this type of book, but there it was, and I was glad to find it.

I feel like I have to mention, though--the only thing I did not enjoy about the book (and the reason for the -0.5 stars) is Troy. I guess I didn't find him as likable as a lot of people did, even before it was revealed that he was actually killing the people whose imminent deaths he sensed. To me, the only thing that felt forced was that Delaney had to keep associating with him even when she knew that he'd tried to kill her, and that he was killing/had killed other people, too. Yeah, she had to keep running into him because of the plot, but I thought she was way too accepting of his actions, and too willing to be around him despite them. I guess I felt like the necessity of Troy's presence to the plot messed with Delaney's otherwise great and very relatable character, and forced her character into situations that just weren't smart (even though she was portrayed as otherwise very intelligent). So that did bother me a little.

But overall, that is a tiny complaint in the grand scheme of this book. It's a really great blend of realistic and engaging characters, a refreshing writing style, and a lot of thoughtfulness on the issues presented. Definitely a 2012 favorite.

[Stephanie]

Delaney was without oxygen for 11 minutes. She should be dead. But she's alive. She's a miracle that nobody understands. Now Delaney has to learn how to go on with her life, and figure out why she is drawn to the dying.

I wanted to read this book because of the science behind it. I've heard of people dying out in the cold, but then coming back to life and apparently the extremely cold temperatures had something to do with it. It's all very fascinating to me. And while the book did have some science behind it and wondering how Delaney wasn't brain dead, it's definitely not the focus.

I really enjoyed the story. It had its creepy moments, which I was very happy to find out and wasn't expecting at all. Through the last half of the book my face was basically stuck in this position O_O

Delaney and Decker's relationship is one that makes you want to shake both of them and to tell them to just kiss all ready. I love those kinds of relationships!

Troy added a whole new level to the book. Like Delaney, he was also attracted to the dying. Delaney couldn't figure him out the whole book, and neither could I. He was sweet one moment and then extremely creepy the next.

This book is also very deep. Delaney tries to twist her weird ability into something so she can help the dying by telling them to do whatever they would do if they only had one day to live. I was not expecting this book to be so emotional, which I probably should have, considering the main character dies, but you know.

Everybody mentioned in the book is effected in someway by Delaney's accident and it gets very crazy at times. And at some points I was thinking that Delaney really has gone crazy from the accident, but then she would recover and go on with her day.

Overall, I really liked this story and was taken by surprise by everything, in a good way!

[Kelsenator]

Originally posted on my blog Kelsey's Cluttered Bookshelf

Not only was this a book for a debut author, but it blew me away.

Delaney was an A student, getting close to exams, friends with the popular kids, her life going almost perfectly. That is until she crashes through the ice in her town of Maine. Her friends who are near do their best to rescue her, but she was under for 11 minutes, and declared dead. Technically she does die, but through some miracle she comes back after being in a coma for a week. She seems perfectly fine, which her family and doctor have trouble believing. Only thing is, she gets a feeling, a kind of pull towards someone who is close to dying, and she can’t help wanting to see who it is, to try and help them. Through this, she meets Troy, who can feel the same thing, but he’s not out to save anyone.

The rest of the story is about how Delaney handles this weird feeling, trying to figure Troy out, and the relationships with her family and other friends who seem to be slipping away as she changes.

This book was very hard to put down, I just kept wanting to read it. I’m glad that it wasn’t part of a series, stand-alone books are nice once in a while. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to read something new and is willing to give this author a try. You won’t regret it!

[Suz @ Bookish Revelations]

Fracture is an amazing highly intense, heart pounding novel that is incredibly heart-wrenching. The simple range of emotion explored in this book, is so real and palpable that reader's can almost experience what the main protagonist (Delaney) is going through, when she wakes up from her horrifying accident. Miranda writes simply from the heart comprised of simple structure, that the journey and questions asked and answered and not answered for Delaney, are so emotionally compelling that you can't help but ache with her given the situation she's woken up to.

It is incredibly hard not to feel for Delaney as she struggles with survior's guilt, at times becomes a bit self-destructive, and is dealing with the fact that she is brain damaged. She isn't the same as she was before, yet there's the question of is this a miracle or is this some sort of paranormal experience? Miranda does a wonderful job of marrying the two idea's and blending them quite well. The emotion Miranda packs into this novel, is powerful and quite palpable enough that the reader experiences things as Delaney goes through the motions of figuring out what to do next.

There is a gripping and chilling fear palpitating through Delaney's veins as she tries to figure out whether or not she can trust the dark and mysterious Troy Varga. He seems to possess a very different outlook on their similar situations. Delaney, on the other hand, doesn't necessarily agree with him. In a moment, he becomes something much more frightening to her. Yet, there seems to be this strong magnetic pull towards him, that she can't quite stop herself from feeling. She is attracted to him and in a way, I personally think that scares her a bit.

Miranda pens a beautifully poingant story of deep love and loyal friendship, with just a hint of paranormal mystery flourishing. Though, there is but a hint of paranormal mystery involved, this book doesn't possess demons, witches, or any supernatural beings of any kind. It does, however, beg the question of whether what happens to Delaney is a miracle or if it actually is a bit paranormal than most would like to believe. Fracture is wonderfully written and developed psychological thriller that is equal parts engaging, as it is suspensful, touching, and spectacular.

The writing style is clean and cripst and the story is tightly written, but Miranda tackles the medical aspects of this novel in such a realistic way that her attention to detail is absolutely spot on and almost flawless. The way in, which, some of the scenes have been written are quite entrancing and I've no doubt that reader's will be enraptured as the story continues to unfold. The concept of Fracture is absolutely gripping and will be sure to keep reader's engaged until the last page has been turned.

In short, Fracture is a wonderfully written novel that is incredibly memorable and should definitely be added to everyone's "to-be-read" pile. I'm sure that fans of Gayle Forman, Lauren Oliver, and Deb Caletti will be sure to love this incredibly touching and mystical novel.