Saturday, September 15, 2012

Don't Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon


I have a terrible proneness to carsickness, but Michelle Gagnon’s Don’t Turn Around miraculously overrode my admonition against reading in cars even while on a roadtrip. Though nauseous, I was thoroughly intrigued by this suspenseful novel. Even when staring out a window, I would puzzle over the mystery in this book. It begins with a teenage computer hacker, Noa, who wakes to find herself post-operation in an unidentified hospital. United with another hacker, Peter, they work to uncover a frightening scheme of immeasurable proportions.
Though it sometimes could be predictable or repetitive, it was in small enough fragments not to take away from the story. As the book had fewer and fewer pages to turn, I was afraid that the ending would be either blunt and disappointing, or ambiguous and unfulfilling. However, I was pleasantly surprised by an ending that wrapped up quickly and effectively. It definitely left room for wondering what happens next, but appropriately so for the nature of the story.
The plot is intense and complicated, the characters are believable, and the writing is detailed. I highly recommend this book to fans of thriller and suspense or to anyone who’s willing to take a shot at an interesting novel. Either way, any reader will be holding their breath while reading Don’t Turn Around.