Early Review: The Glimpse by Claire Merle

The Glimpse by Claire Merle

• Pub. Date: June 7, 2012
• Publisher: Faber & Faber
• Pages: 432

http://www.clairemerle.com

Once you've seen into the future, can you change your destiny?


"In a near future, society is segregated according to whether people are genetically disposed to mental illness. 17-year-old Ana has been living the privileged life of a Pure due to an error in her DNA test. When the authorities find out, she faces banishment from her safe Community, a fate only thwarted by the fact that she has already been promised to Pure-boy Jasper Taurell.
Jasper is from a rich and influential family and despite Ana’s condition, wants to be with her. The authorities grant Ana a tentative reprieve. If she is joined to Jasper before her 18th birthday, she may stay in the Community until her illness manifests. But if Jasper changes his mind, she will be cast out among the Crazies. As Ana’s joining ceremony and her birthday loom closer, she dares to hope she will be saved from the horror of the City and live a ‘normal’ life. But then Jasper disappears.
Led to believe Jasper has been taken by a strange sect the authorities will not interfere with, Ana sneaks out of her well-guarded Community to find him herself. Her search takes her through the underbelly of society and into the pits of the human soul. And as she delves deeper into the mystery of Jasper's abduction she uncovers some devastating truths that destroy everything she has grown up to believe, but she also learns to love as she has never loved before."

Review: Wow this book was intense. The world which was created was disturbingly scary, imagine a world where little kids as young as four commit suicide, believing in religion or a higher power is considered a form of psychosis and then of course there is the Big 3 - schizophrenia, depression and anxiety. I finished reading The Glimpse about a week ago and I usually write the reviews a day or so after but with this one I had to wait and get my feelings in order. Did I love it..did I like it, in the end I decided I really did like it. But I do have a feeling that this is going to be one of those controversial books.


Ana is a Pure ( people who don't have the genes to ever develop a mental health illness ) or at least she thought she was until she learned her father who is a Pure geneticist altered her test results. Now she must be joined with Jasper before she turns 18 to remain in the pure society or be kicked out and have to live with the Crazies ( people who tested positive to have or to eventually develop a mental illness. ) Long story short Jasper disappears and Ana sets off to find him but in the process discovers truths that she never would have accepted true, learns about the lies being fed by the government and she meets Cole.

I struggled with the first half of the book, not that I didn't find it interesting with all the world building that was going on but it just dragged. The second half is when things picked up and it had the total opposite affect on me then the first, I wasn't able to put it down.

 I really liked Cole he is actually seven years older then Ana which came a surprise since I rarely see such huge age gaps in the YA genre but nonetheless he was a character I really enjoyed. Seriously if it wasn't for Ana being seventeen I wouldn't even put this under YA there was so many events that took place that is definitely for a more mature reader.

The book ended with nothing really being solved, a lot of secrets are revealed but only for more questions to arise by the end of it. The Glimpse leaves you hanging and wanting for more. I'm really curious to see what happens in the next book.

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