The Bodies We Wear

Reviewed by: Kristin Taylor - Biddeford High School, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 21, 2015

Review

Jeyn Roberts warns us about the toll that revenge takes on the soul, what drug addiction does not only to the user, but the society around it and questions whether there an afterlife and is it heaven or hell?

Fay is a survivor of Heam, a synthetic drug that was created so that the person dies, allowing them to see heaven and with luck live again to suffer the continuing addiction. The story follows Faye through her feeling of revenge for what happened to her and the death of her friend and the demons within her because of this hatred. She also questions what happed to her when she died; she was supposed to see heaven, but all she saw was a tormenting hell. So is there really an afterlife that is as pleasant as Heam leads you to believe? What Faye would give to be treated as a normal teenager but instead because of Heam, she is considered a pariah as all the other Heam survivors and users. Can she change the attitude or will her revenge and hate over rule?

This would be a good young adult novel for high school age students . The messages are strong and would be interesting and helpful for those who are looking for a good story on how revenge can be more hurtful to the person seeking revenge than the ones that are being place sought after. The way the author deals with addiction - the reasoning for doing drugs, how society shouldn't turn their backs is well placed within the story line. And who hasn't wondered what heaven or hell is like!

Overall Book Score: excellent