All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab

All Unquiet Things
Anna Jarzab
Age: Young Adult
Source: Publisher/Author
Summary:

Carly: She was sweet. Smart. Self-destructive. She knew the secrets of Brighton Day School's most privileged students. Secrets that got her killed. 

Neily: Dumped by Carly for a notorious bad boy, Neily didn't answer the phone call she made before she died. If he had, maybe he could have helped her. Now he can't get the image of her lifeless body out of his mind. 

Audrey: She's the reason Carly got tangled up with Brighton's fast crowd in the first place, and now she regrets it--especially since she's convinced that the police have put the wrong person in jail. Audrey thinks the murderer is someone at Brighton, and she wants Neily to help her find out who it is...read more at Goodreads. 

The novel is split into four parts, and an epilogue. Neily narrates Parts 1, 3, and the epilogue, leaving Audrey to narrate Parts 2 and 4. At the end of Neily's first narration, I was initially worried that I wouldn't enjoy Audrey's voice as much, or that I would get confused, but the transition was easy and enjoyable.

It took me a few chapters to adjust to Neily's voice, but I grew to enjoy his sarcasm. He's still really hurting from Carly's death, and all the things they went through in the past. Audrey is so sweet and genuine, you just want to hug her. But she can toss a comeback right back to Neily, so I liked for her that as well. She's feeling some guilt too, for helping pull Carly away from Neily in the first place. Carly was definitely the shining star, however. I enjoyed all the flashbacks of her, showing how much she changed, and how many secrets she held. Neily and Audrey pair up, and begin their investigation. But the more they dig, the more danger they place themselves in, as they get closer and closer to Carly's killer.

With each part of the novel, Jarzab takes us through the present while also weaving in some details from the past. I found myself putting the book down, walking away for a bit, just to really think about things, and to savor the story. With each new revelation, I found myself counting down my list of suspects, trying to piece it all together. The ending was definitely quite a surprise, and I wasn't disappointed.

Highlights: Jarzab's writing was just my style. I was hooked enough to attempt dragging out the story as long as I could, reading as slowly as possible, and re-reading passages over again. I enjoyed both of the character's perspectives, and found both of their voices to be believable and realistic. I also loved how effortlessly the flashbacks fit in with the story, because there was never a moment of confusion.

Lowlights: Hmmm.....It took me about a chapter or two in to really get hooked on this story? That's a pathetic excuse for a lowlight, isn't it? I guess, in the end, I just have to say that Anna Jarzab's debut novel All Unquiet Things was spectacular. It was mysterious, realistic, and I loved every second of it.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Author Interview: Anna Jarzab, All Unquiet Things

So what is All Unquiet Things about?

All Unquiet Things is a story about two teens who try to solve their friend's murder, even though someone has already been convicted of the crime and sent to prison.

Who are your main characters, and what makes them unique?
I basically have three main characters.

The first one is Carly, the dead girl. It might seem silly to list a dead character first on a list of main characters, but she really is the sun around which the whole book revolves. She shows up in flashback, so you get a pretty good sense of who she is and how difficult she made things for everyone, but also why everyone loved her so much.

Neily is Carly's ex-boyfriend (Neily is short for Neiland, which is his mother's maiden name, although I never actually mention that in the book, I don't think). He's sort of a loner, and he feels like he doesn't belong, which, don't we all? He's hung up about Carly and miserable, but he's also loyal and good, so while he can seem sharp and asocial, it's really just a front to protect himself against more pain (you'll see why).

Audrey is the final main character. She's got a horrible family life and she's desperate for some kind of connection, but while she used to be popular, she's fallen from grace since her father was put in jail for Carly's murder. She has something to prove, and she doesn't believe her father's guilty, so she's very focused on clearing his name. But she's not entirely distanced from her old life, which presents a problem when she tries to get Neily to help her solve Carly's murder.

Where did the inspiration to write this novel come from?
I don't really know. It's evolved so much from where it started, it's not even remotely the same book--the only thing that hasn't changed from beginning to end is Neily, so I guess the story has always sprung from him and revolves around him. Even though Audrey narrates about 40% of the book, I always think of it as Neily's book.

What's the biggest mystery you've ever solved?
Ha ha, this one! Seriously, it took me forever to puzzle out who it is, and even know, knowing what I know, there's a second possible solution other than the one I went with--a couple of my friends have said to me, "I thought it could be so-and-so," and I wonder how long it will take for me to get an email about that once people start reading it.

Are you working on anything new right now?
I'm working on two things, actually. One is what I like to call a quasi-post-apocalyptic pseudo-mystery, and the other is a book about two sisters being forced to reconnect after the older one's long absence has divided them. It's proving to be unproductive to work on them simultaneously, but I just can't pick one.

Anything else you'd like to add?
Just thank you to you for hosting me for this interview! I really appreciate all the support and interest. I'm excited for January and for everybody to read this book.

Thank you so much, Anna, for the fantastic interview! I'm definitely excited for the release too! I'll be posting my review of All Unquiet Things soon, and I cannot wait to share my thoughts on it!

Make sure to check out Anna's website! She's got hidden content about All Unquiet Things *hidden* all over her site! (hint: click the matryoshki dolls!)

Lea

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WOW Is brought to us by Jill over at Breaking the Spine.


All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab

Release date: January 12th, 2010

Summary from Anna's website:

All Unquiet Things centers around the murder of teen heiress Carly Ribelli, who was found shot to death a mile from her house in a wealthy Northern California suburb. Carly's uncle, a dissolute alcoholic, was convicted of the crime, but a year later his daughter still doesn't believe her father is guilty. Determined to prove his innocence, Audrey Ribelli contacts Carly's ex-boyfriend, Neily Monroe, the boy who found Carly's body. She is convinced that he knows more than he thinks about the events that led up to Carly's death. Despite Neily's initial reluctance, he and Audrey begin their investigation at the post private school they attend, identifying prime suspects from among their spoiled classmates and digging up secrets about Carly's past to get to the truth behind her murder.

I can't help it. Murder, mystery, intrigue....I'm totally excited for this.

-YABQ