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The Unseen World

September 7, 2017

This is the kind of book that makes you want to call in sick to work.

Ada Sibelius is a 14-year-old whose world is upended when her father develops Alzheimer’s.  Even more disturbing, she then discovers that he may have been living under a false identity.  With the unsettling realization that her only (and now incapacitated) parent may be a con man, she starts to investigate.  

The book is set in 1980’s Boston, where Ada’s father is a cutting-edge computer scientist and researcher. It takes you back to the time when home computers were new, and every development was exciting. A fellow librarian friend also noted that this reminded her of Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me—it has the same nostalgic, puzzle-like feel. It’s a coming-of-age story that would also appeal to sci-fi and mystery fans, and the ending is so emotionally resonant and memorable that I’m still thinking about it almost a year later.

Do not miss this one!

 

beth winter

Beth

Beth works in the Collection Development department.  She loves short stories, memoirs, documentary films, and cookbooks.  Her favorite things about working at the library are knowing in advance about all the new releases and the easy access to her library holds.