School Library Journal-Rezension
Gr 9 Up-Polly Furnas, 18, and Odd Estes, 17, both disfigured survivors of a MRSA outbreak, feel rejected in their small Montana town. Both had typical teenage dreams for their futures, only to find themselves unlikely friends bonded by the infection. Odd, who lost a leg, invites Polly on a road trip, promising adventure and lots of fishing. Polly, wanting to get away from her mom and to escape the rejection she feels because of her facial disfigurement, opts to go along. While readers might hope for plenty of action, there is very little, leading to a character-driven novel with no plot. Odd is an unlikable character who eases his pain with medicinal marijuana and carries a gun. Polly and Odd are honest teens with strong opinions. Their interactions are interesting, but some readers will have trouble connecting with either one of them. Mature teens who finish the story will see that this is a novel about acceptance and moving on when life throws a curveball.-Karen Alexander, Lake Fenton High School, Linden, MI (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly-Rezension
When 18-year-old Polly reflects on the idea that what doesn't kill one makes one stronger, she's not thinking about herself. She's referring to a local staph outbreak that killed five people and maimed two, including Polly. "It ate my eye and part of my cheekbone. It left behind a mess of bumpy pink scars that twists the corner of my mouth up on one side like I'm a half-finished Joker." Her future plans (and her former boyfriend) now belong to the "Polly-That-Was," and she spends her days watching TV until she hears from fellow survivor Odd Estes, who lost a leg to the infection. A fishing trip in his old Cadillac becomes a road trip to Portland, Ore., as Polly tries to understand the twist of fate that has scarred her inside and out, while she attempts to keep an erratic Odd in check. Morris Award-winner Woolston (The Freak Observer) forces readers to re-evaluate life's random cruelties and the idea of "survival," as she brings her characters to the brink of death, then tosses them back in the water. Ages 14-up. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book-Rezension
Polly, a self-described "monster," is disfigured following a staph infection that killed several others in her town. She and Odd, another teen who survived the infection, embark on a road trip that takes them through the Pacific Northwest--and into honest discussions about the nature of disability and the drive to survive. Woolston offers an unusual perspective on healing in this nuanced story. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus-Rezension
(Fiction. 14 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist-Rezension
Polly has physically recovered from the flesh-eating bacteria that attacked her face near the close of her senior year. She has lost one eye and that side of her face is now deeply distorted. Much more brutal than the physical scarring, however, is the fact that the boyfriend with whom she had planned a happily-ever-after future dumped her while she was hospitalized. He just couldn't stand the imperfections that New Polly bore aesthetically, psychologically, and socially. While in the hospital, however, Polly strikes up an acquaintance with another bacteria survivor, Odd Estes, who lost his foot to the disease and has been outfitted with a robotic prosthesis that he learns to work quite well. In addition to sharing the adjustment to life as bacteria survivors, they both love fishing, and Odd takes Polly on a road trip outfitted with some nearly Kerouacian moments. Woolston's novel offers intriguing characters, contemporary ethical questions, and a story that will have appeal to a wide range of readers.--Goldsmith, Francisca Copyright 2010 Booklist
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