The Impossibility of US

Children's Book and Media Review Volume 39 Issue 9 Article 67 2018 The Impossibility of US Katie Irion Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cbmr BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Irion, Katie (2018) "The Impossibility of US," Children's Book and Media Review: Vol. 39 : Iss. 9 , Article 67. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cbmr/vol39/iss9/67 This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Children's Book and Media Review by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact , . Irion: The Impossibility of US Book Review The Impossibility of US Author Katy Upperman Illustrator Reviewer Katie Irion Rating Excellent Level Young Adult Pages 303 Year 2018 Elise didn’t think that life could get any harder after losing her brother to war and moving to a new city, but then she met Mati. Mati is only in America for the summer and is from Afghanistan, which is painful for Elise because her brother was in Afghanistan when he was killed. Both of their families are against their friendship. Despite the obstacles, they fall in love and spend every minute together. Before they know it, the summer is ending, and with only one week left together, Elise finds out that Mati is already promised to a girl at home. Even though this initially breaks her heart, her love for Mati is too great and they reconcile before he goes home. Eventually Mati defies his culture and his family to attend college in America, and against all odds, Mati and Elise get their happy ending. Upperman’s novel draws in readers with vivid descriptions of the California coast, characters worth rooting for, and a unique and interesting writing style. The novel allows for both Mati and Elise to voice their viewpoint. All of Elise’s chapters are in prose form, while Mati’s are in verse. It is a lovely juxtaposition that adds dimension to the characters. Mati’s poetry subtly reminds the reader with his short sentences that English is his second language. While the novel does read very quickly, some developments are too quick and seem rather unbelievable. The last chapter, for instance, has a resolution for both Mati and Elise that is almost too good to be true and completely goes against Mati’s character. Even with these flaws, however, it is a good, enjoyable read. Publisher Swoon Reads ISBN 9781250127990 Published by BYU ScholarsArchive, 2018 1  (...truncated)